Amour de Pecheur
by KarlyAnnChase
Summary: Sakura leaves Sasuke and their marrige, he apparently he loved be intoxicated more than he loved her. She now moved in with Naruto, Hinata, and Neji. What could happen when she's there? And what would happen if the Akatsuki got involved? NejiSaku.
1. Escape

Percheur J'aime Chapter One: Escape

A/N: Yep, this is it. My DeiSaku story! The title, Percheur J'aime is French for Sinners Love. This story going to be rated M for violence, drug abuse, and probably smut. This is going to be my first story with smut, so I might not be all that good at it; even though I have read a lot of it. :D But, that'll be later in the story.

**EDIT: **This will _not _be a DEISAKU. It's going to be a NejiSaku, so, yeah. So sorry if I confused you, I'm a woman, we change our minds alot. BUT, there is going to be a sequel after this story. -CoughDeiSakuCough- Again, so sorry for the notice.

Disclaimer: I will never, ever, ever own Naruto. He is Kishimoto's.

Here you go, enjoy!

--

_Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!_

-Lewis Carroll, _Through the looking Glass_

Sakura put her pale locks up in a loose bun and sighed. Inhaled the unwanted smoke from the other room. She was tired of it. Living with Sasuke. All he ever did was smoke illegal drugs and drink his hearts content out. Hell, she couldn't remember the last time he was sober. They had been married for two years now, it had been great the first few months, but then everything crashed. One of his friends that she didn't know about, introduced him into drugs. Such as; meth, marijuana, amphetamines, and some stuff _she _didn't even know about. One thing he had also showed him was overdosing. She knew he loved her, but he loved them _much more_. She didn't love him anymore.

She put some black mascara and some light charcoal eye shadow on; she was meeting Naruto at Ichiraku. She wore her usual black shorts, but without the skirt, a light white tank top, and some ankle-high sandals. He hadn't invited her; she invited him. So, she picked up her purse with the money for ramen in it, and walked out of the bathroom; holding her breath.

"Honey I'm leaving to meet Naruto at Ichiraku," she paused, "I'll be back in an hour or two." she shouted to her husband, who was in his room.

"Okay, love you." a slurred reply came back to her.

She sighed, opened the door, and left.

* * *

It was at least ten o' clock when she left the house. She thought about the conversation with Sasuke, when he had fist started trashing himself.

Flashback:

"_Sakura. Come here." he had slurred._

_She soundlessly replied and walked into the bedroom and got on the bed with him. A bottle a dark liquor next to him, along with bags of only god-knows-what tobacco._

_He took another long swig of the liquor before speaking, "You cannot tell Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, or anyone about this. No one. Okay?" he had said softly._

_She frowned and nodded, "I understand."_

_He cupped her face and smiled, "I'll quit… someday. So don't worry. Please." then he had kissed her._

End of flashback.

She could still taste that disgusting liquor on her lips and tongue.

Then a very loud and obnoxious, "Sakura-chan!" broke her of her thoughts.

She smiled and jogged a little to get over to him. He smiled, got up, and hugged her tightly. She sat down at the stool next to him after they broke apart.

Then he had a concerned look on his face, "Why did you invite me to dinner, Sakura-chan?" he asked her.

"Naruto… there's something I need to tell you." she said with a frown.

His eyes immediately widened, "What? Don't tell me… are you cheating on Sasuke-teme?!"

She quickly replied before he could go on with his own assumption, "No, no, no! I would never do that Naruto! But, it is about Sasuke…" she paused and sighed, "He never wanted me to tell you this but… it's about time that I do. He smokes, not just cigarettes; but meth, marijuana, and stuff that _I _don't even know about. He also drinks, a lot. I can't even remember the last time he was _sober. _I can't live with that anymore! I'm sick and tired of it…" she could feel the warm tears that slipped down her face. She had never cried about it, but now it finally broke. She knew her mascara was smudging; but she didn't care.

Naruto was enraged. She could see the red chakra surrounding him, his fangs and claws grew, and his eyes were a crimson color instead of cheery blue. "How DARE HE!" he screamed in anger.

She instantly flew out of her seat and embraced him; to calm him down. He could feel the hot tear seep inside of his cloth, dampening it slightly. She felt his chakra soothe and he finally wrapped his arms around her. And what he felt was terrible; he felt her tears first off, her shaking, and he could hear her sobbing. He had never wanted to see Sakura like this. Ever. So, he held her, and he held her tightly.

"Sakura…" he started, "I'm so sorry… how long has he been doing this fucking shit?" he asked angrily; but not towards her, towards Sasuke.

"About five months after our… marriage." she managed to answer between sobs.

Naruto growled, "Bastard." he said simply before speaking again, "What are you going to do?"

She took a deep breath of fresh air, "Divorce. He still loves me, but I _don't _love him. Because, he doesn't love me as much." she explained, "But there is one more thing…"

"You don't know where to go." he finished for her, "You can stay with me and Hinata-chan," he offered nicely.

They finally broke the bone-crushing hug. She smiled, "Thank you, Naruto. But, I don't want to get in the way-" he interrupted her.

"No, no! You won't! In fact, you can hang out with that Neji-bastard." he suggested, with his trademark fox-grin.

She rolled her eyes and grinned back, "Fine. I'll move in in about three days or so,"

Naruto practically jumped for joy, "Okay, we'll get a room ready for you!" he said before lunging for her, again.

She laughed softly and hugged him back. "I have to go now. Love ya Naruto."

He let go of her before replying, "Love ya too, Sakura-chan. See you in three days!" he chirped excitedly.

She giggled and waved. He waved back energetically. Then, she turned around and sighed. _Naruto is too good to me._

* * *

She stepped on the front porch of the Uchiha Manor; her house. Then her heart sank, as it did every time she entered. The ghastly smell of smoke, and alcohol. It sickened her mind to even _think _about inhaling that crap, while drinking alcohol. _This _was what she needed to get away from.

She got her keys out and unlocked the door. When she entered, her eyes burned, and she almost choked on the sent compared to ramen. It was also hot, muggy, and humid, which made it _much _worse.

"Hey, I'm back." she was able to say.

"Mm." was all he said, or grunted.

After that, she walked to the bedroom; where he was located. And as she walked there, the sent was becoming thicker, and thicker. She held her nose and prayed that she could hold her breath for as long as she had to talk to him. She opened the door to see Sasuke in his usual spot; his desk, with bags and alcohol bottles in front of him. He turned his head to see who was entering.

"I need to talk to you." she said sternly.

He turned to sit on his chair backwards, so he was facing her. He raised his eyebrows, as if saying to go ahead and talk.

She cleared her throat, "It's about that," she said, pointing to the bottles and bags. "I'm sick and tired of it. The stench makes me want to puke in my _sleep_. So, I'm moving in with Naruto and Hinata. Even Tsunade is asking about my health, because of all the second hand smoke, my health has been fucked up! And, I have to lie to her every time she asks me! That is why I'm leaving. I still love you, but not enough to risk my _life… _I'm sorry." she finished.

And she was really surprised, he wasn't angry… just surprised. Then, finally, he sighed, "I understand… I think. Are we still going to be married?" he asked.

"No. We're going to be nothing more than friends, I'm afraid." her head was down and her hands were clasped together tightly. She bit her lip before speaking again, "I'm packing my stuff tonight and leaving." she informed him, with a small scowl.

He simply nodded and turned back around. After that, she went to the closet to gather her clothes, accessories, and special trinkets. She crammed them all into a small suitcase. It was _way _too small, but it had managed to fit almost every one of her items. She left a few behind; things that she didn't need.

She turned back to her ex-husband, "I guess this is it."

He turned to face her again, "Can I have one last kiss?" he slurred.

She soundlessly nodded and walked towards him. Then, he placed his lips on hers, in a hungry, last kiss. She could taste what alcohol and what smoke that was in his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her possessively and held her tight. She put her arms around his neck lightly, massaging his tensed muscles. He wasn't a half bad kisser when he was drunk, actually, he was pretty good.

She broke the kiss slowly, feeling it was getting out of hand. She saw the sorry look on his face, so she hugged him. He dug his nose right below her ear.

"I'll miss this…" he said in her ear.

She shook her head, "No. You won't, Sasuke."

"…"

"I think it's time for me to leave." she said coldly.

They broke apart and he looked at her in the eyes. His dark onyx eyes were filled with emotion, surprisingly. Mostly sadness, a little bit of anger was in there too.

"Bye, Sasuke." she finally said, then started walking backwards.

"Au revoir, Sakura."

* * *

Sakura walked down the silent streets of Konoha, on her way to her new home. Hopefully Naruto would understand that she came early; she had no reason to leave two days later. Then, what caught her attention was a rumble of thunder a few miles away. She smirked; the rainy season was finally coming. She loved the rain, it took her away from her pain, and made her forget about Sasuke and his addictions. She also like how it gave her that thrilling cool sensation, it always made her smile. Then, she felt a large drop of rain land on her forehead. She closed her eyes and stopped for a moment; waiting patiently for the downpour to arrive. The rain started accumulate, so she continued on. And before she knew it, she was on the front steps of the Hyuuga Manor. She knocked a few times on the door.

She could hear the footsteps coming towards the door. It swung open and who stood there was, Hinata. She smiled, "Hi Sakura. You're two days early," she giggled.

Sakura smiled back, "Yeah, I had no real reason to stay _there _any longer."

"Come in and I'll get your room ready for you." she said quietly while also letting her inside.

After Hinata had let her in, Naruto had come out of their room to see who come over. When he saw it was Sakura, he beamed brightly and waved, before running up to give her a bone-crushing embrace. She smiled and rubbed up and down his back.

"Hey Naruto, sorry I came early. I guess I was sort of excited," she chuckled, then breaking up the tight hug.

He chuckled as well, "Don't apologize, Sakura. There's no need to."

"Your room is ready, Sakura!" she heard Hinata yell from the hallway.

Her and Naruto walked to see where her new room was located. And when they entered, the walls were white with an ivory strip leading down the middle, a plain futon, and dark wood drawers and vanity. It was plain, but nice.

"So where is Neji?" Sakura asked out of curiosity.

Hinata was first to speak, "He's out on an ANBU mission. He should be getting back later tomorrow, actually."

Sakura nodded, "Okay. And if he has any wounds, I can surly heal him. Oh, one more thing, where's you guys' room?"

"Right across from your room, and Neji's is next to your's." Naruto informed her, pointing to which room he as he went.

Sakura smiled warmly, "Alright guys. Thank you so much Hinata, Naruto. I owe you big time," she laughed lightly.

Hinata smiled back, "That's what friends are for. So you don't have owe us." she said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Sakura's smile widened, "Okay. I think I'm ready for bed." she finally mentioned.

Naruto and Hinata both nodded, then she walked off to her new bedroom. When she went in there, she set her clothes in her drawers, before changing into her pajamas. She wore just a simple baggy t-shirt and some boy shorts. She sighed, glad that every time she _did _sigh, she wouldn't have to breath in that vile sent with it. Now, she breathed in the sent of cleanness, like the smell that the sheets washed in.

Then, she went ahead and plopped down on the crisp, clean sheets of her futon. She wrapped the covers around her body and snuggled her nose into the pillow. She almost forgot, the lamp next to her so, she giggled then flicked it off. The light thunderstorm outside calmed her senses down, and eventually made her fall asleep.

* * *

The bright rays of sunshine woke her up this morning. She smiled and yawned before stretching out her lazy limbs. She looked around the room for a clock, and found one behind her, next to the lamp. It was 8:53 AM. She had always been an early riser. She gradually got up from the futon and walked down to the kitchen.

When she entered, she smelt ramen. _Of course, Naruto wants ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. _She thought, obviously amused. But she was surprised too; Naruto was up _this _early.

She smiled, "Good morning Naruto, Hinata."

Hinata looked away from the ramen to look at her, "Oh, good morning Sakura."

"Morning, Sakura." Naruto lazily replied, with his mouth full of ramen.

She rolled her eyes at him. Then, she sat down at the table.

"Want some, Sakura?" Hinata asked politely, pointing to the huge bowl of ramen.

"Sure, and don't worry, I'll get it myself." she replied, while getting up from her seat.

Then she quietly walked over to get a bowl; she knew where they were, sense she's been in Hinata's house before. She opened up the cabinet and pulled out a pristine white bowl. She was amazed; how can they keep this house so clean? She silently giggled, then putting a small portion of ramen in her bowl. After that, she walked back and sat down in her chair. She was accidentally taking a big bite of her ramen, then the door sung open; causing her to almost choke. She finished the huge bite, then she turned her head towards the door to see who just entered. It was Neji, coming back from his ANBU mission. He took off his dog-shaped mask and threw it on the couch. He looked over in the direction to where everyone was. He saw that Sakura was here.

"What brings you here, Sakura? Just coming over for a visit?" he asked out of curiosity.

Sakura swallowed; she was really nervous. But, Hinata answered before she could, "Um… Neji-san, I don't know what you'll think of this… but, she moved in." she could tell Hinata was also worried about what he would think of it.

He rose chestnut eyebrow, "How come?"

Naruto answered this time, "Because her so-called-husband Sasuke, loved the drugs and alcohol more than her. That bastard…" he trailed off.

This time Neji nodded, "Ah. Don't be worried; I don't have a problem with it."

Both Hinata and Sakura sighed in relief. Naruto just fox-grinned. Neji finished dusting himself off then sat at the only available seat left at the table; next to Sakura. She smiled slightly for a greeting, he nodded his head back. Hinata got up to get her cousin some breakfast. She served him up quite a large portion, because he came back from his mission.

"Thank you." he said quietly, then dug in.

* * *

After breakfast, Sakura got dressed in a white sundress that buttoned down, and it just barely came above her knees. She wore simple flip-flop type sandals to go with also. She wore her bubblegum pink hair in an simple up-do, with a few hair pins. She also repainted her nails, this time using a mint-green color. She was ready for whatever the day hit her with; she even had a spare kunai strapped on her thigh underneath the dress. You can never be _too _prepared.

She walked out into the living room; where Hinata, Neji, and Naruto were. It looked like Hinata and Naruto were having a pretty good conversation, while Neji just sat there and watched them. Naruto and Hinata glanced up to see who was entering the room, but went straight back to talking to each other. Neji also looked up, but just nodded for a greeting. She put a hand up, greeting him back. She sat at the opposite end of the couch, just sitting there like Neji; watching the conversation.

Neji's voice made her jump, "So, what drugs did Sasuke exactly do? If you don't mind me asking, of course." he added politely.

She smiled sympathetically, "It's alright to ask. The ones that I knew he did were crystal meth, marijuana, and even some that I didn't even know of. He also drank and overdosed; I'm surprised he's not dead by now," she laughed coldly.

Neji didn't know what to say, so he nodded. Now he knew the reason she moved here, earlier he didn't quite understand, even with what Naruto had said.

Sakura was practically brain dead from being bored, "I'm going for a walk." she decided suddenly, and she made sure everyone could hear her.

Hinata looked at her for a moment before speaking, "But it's about to rain, Sakura-san…" she said meekly.

Sakura waved her hand, "Oh, it's fine, I'll come home before it starts." after she said that, she got up and walked towards the shoji doors that lead outside.

She nodded, "Okay then. Be back soon, lunch will be ready at noon." she added lightly.

And after that, she left.

* * *

She would be fine, it was cloudy outside but not rainy _yet_. She knew it would rain, but only in about an two hours. She was only going to take an hour walk.

As soon as she got to the park, she smiled and sat down on a bench to look at all the nature surrounding her. She looked at the beautiful Sakura trees that started to bloom, all the carnations and lily flowers; spring was such a beautiful season. It was obviously her favorite. She breathed in and let out a pleasant sigh. As she looked up at the sky again, the clouds were fully covering over the sun. _A few more moments won't hurt. _She told herself mentally. Until, she felt a large raindrop land on her nose. _Err… maybe not. _She reconsidered.

Then, it started pouring.

"Shit." was all she had to say.

And after that, she took off as fast as she could on her feet; using chakra. But she was already soaked. She was now thinking that she should've listened to Hinata now. She was going to be totally mortified when she got home.

_Curse the rainy season. I wasn't even out there for half an hour. Gosh._

* * *

She tried as quietly as she could to get in, so nobody would notice her getting in. She did, however, get in quietly, but they were all out in the living room, still. And what made things _much _worse for her was, they were all staring at her. She hated wearing this white dress now, because, she had a sage green bra underneath. Plus the fact, she was shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself and flushed. It wasn't too easy _not _to when you had three pairs of eyes staring at you, and two of which were _men._

She swallowed deeply, "I'm going to change." she said softly, still blushing madly.

Their eyes silently followed her as she went, until they heard her shoji doors shut.

"Damn it Sakura! You really are an idiot!" she cursed herself, only whispering.

She found a pair of black shorts and sleeveless white tank with the Haruno symbol on the back. She also took down her almost drenched hair and combed it out. She was thankful that she only let it grow down a little bit past her shoulders. Then she walked out back into the living room. She looked over at the clock and found it was 10:13 AM. This time, only Neji was in there, Hinata and Naruto were preparing lunch in the kitchen.

Her gaze now changed over to Neji, who was still sitting quietly, "So, Neji. Do you have any wounds that need to be mended?"

He nodded his head slightly, "I have a gash in my arm, if you want to heal that."

"Okay."

Then he scooted over on the couch for her to get next to him. She pulled up on the sleeve of his t-shirt and saw a ghastly deep gash, she made a face; it was deep also. Then she put her hand on the wound lightly, making sure to put light pressure on there, then summoned chakra into her hand. He didn't even flinch. The healing process didn't even take ten minutes. She took her hand off of his bicep and nodded, as a gesture saying it was done.

"Thank you." he said softly.

Sakura smiled, "No problem. Its just what I do," she laughed lightly, and managed to get a crooked smile out of Neji himself.

"Lunch is ready!" Naruto called from the kitchen.

Sakura and Neji got up and walked towards the kitchen. It looked like they were having miso soup and a side of sushi. Hinata already had the plates set up and everything. This house was so organized.

"Thanks, Hinata, Naruto." Sakura smiled warmly.

Hinata beamed back, "It's nothing Sakura."

Sakura was surprised, she hadn't seen Hinata so, _not _shy. I guess after her and Naruto got married she lost her bashfulness. She thought they were a beautiful couple. Although, she felt sorry for Neji. Tenten was really the only woman in his life, and she had died about two years ago. Back then, he had been even more emotionless than she had ever seen him. She remembered Hinata telling her that he wouldn't come out of his room except for when he absolutely had to. It had been horrible for her too see. But, now he seemed to be getting better. Her and Hinata were both glad. She didn't even realize it, but she was smiling like an idiot right now.

Naruto looked at her curiously, "Sakura-chan, you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts to Naruto's voice, "Oh sorry. Just spacing out there for a second," she giggled.

He nodded, but still looked at her suspiciously. After Hinata and Naruto sat down next to each other, she chose the seat across from Naruto. Neji sat down next to her. They talked on and off, mostly about nothing. It was peaceful. Sakura lost some of her nervousness that she had before about living in this house, now she knew everything would be fine.

--

Woo! NINE PAGES! :D I'm so happy. It's over 4,000 words too. :D I'm really happy about this story.

Love

NarutoFreakxD

* * *


	2. Sakura's unknown fear?

Amour de Pecheur Chapter Two: Sakura's unknown fear…?

A/N: Thank you so much Crazyudja for telling me Sinners Love means Amour de Pecheur in French. Not Pecheur J'aime; that means Sinner I Love. See?! I told you. I'm not French in any means. And, I've made my decision. This is going to be a NejiSaku story, and I'm going to make a sequel that is a DeiSaku. I've got everything planned out; don't worry. Oh, and if you're wondering where I get all my poems at, I get them from the books by Holly Black. Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside are the books.

P.S. Everyone here is 21. Also, I do not do well on fighting scenes, so parts of this chapter might suck, because I don't know what jutsu's they can all do! (But I'm researching, so it might not turn out all that bad!) I'm so sorry if this turns out horrible.

On with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

--

_"You whom I can't save. Listen to me."_

-Czeslaw Milosz "Dedication"

* * *

"So what are we going to do now?" Sakura asked, because it was after lunch.

"Train," Neji answered.

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, its going to be much easier now, because we have four people. Me and Neji can spar first, while you and Hinata spar, then we can switch so I'm with Sakura and Neji's with Hinata. Then, we can switch again so I'm with Hinata, and Sakura's with Neji. Sound good?" he asked.

He got three nods, which made his grin get wider, "Let's go then."

* * *

"Naruto, come back here! I need to heal that for you!" Sakura annoyingly yelled to him.

He ran farther before yelling back, "No, no, no! I'm fine Sakura, really!" even though he had a gash in his arm.

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

And that broke her patience, "That's IT! I won't heal you. You can just go around with a useless, bleeding, arm." she sulked, putting her nose up and crossing her arms.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, thinking he didn't want to bleed to death, "Err… Sakura, I was just messing with-"

"Nope, not until you say sorry and you want your arm mended."

Naruto huffed, "Fine. I am sorry, and would really love it if you 'mended' my arm."

Sakura uncrossed her arms and smiled, "Now that's the attitude! Come over here," and then he started to walk over.

She got out her medical supplies; peroxide, and gauze. She first cleaned the wound with the peroxide, which made him flinch, then she tightly wrapped the gauze around the gash. Sometimes she didn't need chakra to heal simple things like that. But later, she would use chakra to make sure it won't scar. Naruto sure was clumsy these days.

"Is he alright?" Neji's smooth voice spoke.

She looked up at him and smirked, "Yeah, yeah. He's fine." she said while putting a hand on her hip, "I still can't believe he didn't see me coming, that klutz." she giggled.

Neji even managed to smile a bit, but Naruto, had a different reaction, "Hey! I wasn't paying enough attention…it's not my fault."

"Tsk. Yes it was, ninja are always suppose to pay attention, and not daydreaming about Hinata." Sakura told him.

That caused both Hinata and Naruto to blush, which made her smirk get wider.

"Okay, anyways. Let's switch partners. So that means, Neji, you're with me. Hinata, you're with the klutz over there. Taijutsu only." Sakura said simply.

Neji, Hinata, and Naruto nodded. Although, Naruto had a small scoff.

Sakura took in a deep breath, "Ready or not, here I come. Neji." she said playfully with a small grin.

He simply smirked, "Humph. Don't be too confident, kunoichi,"

She rolled her eyes, "Now you sound like Itachi." while also crossing her arms on her chest.

"I won't be too hard on you, Hinata-chan." Naruto assured her, with his trademark fox-grin.

Hinata blushed, "N-Naruto-kun, you don't h-have to…" she stuttered.

He just crinkled his eye and snorted.

Neji looked up at all of them, "Naruto, you go over there with Hinata. Sakura and I will stay here, so we have good distance." he told them.

Hinata and Naruto nodded, then set off to go to their part of the training field. Sakura and Neji took their defensive stances and backed away from each other. He saw her smirk and raised a mocha brow at here. Then…

"Shunshin no jutsu!" and disappeared.

He scouted the area, before using, "Byakugan!" and veins popped out of his forehead. He could see her chakra up in one of the trees… _too easy, she would have to know I would use my Byakugan, so did she want to be caught?_ he thought to himself.

Sakura grinned pleasingly, she knew he found her. It was all apart of her plan; he would come up to attack her, then, she would use her Mystical Palm Technique jutsu on him, it would cut him so deeply it would reach his muscle, or organ, wherever she planned on striking him. And since they were all doing taijutsu, she wouldn't be breaking the rules, she was only using her palms. She would make sure she wouldn't hit him anywhere too seriously. She heard a ruffling of leaves, she grinned. _Here he comes, get ready, Sakura._

Then, he came out from the trees, "Shosen no jutsu!" she yelled.

Neji went wide-eyed. Her mystical palm jutsu was just about to land on his abdomen. _Crap! No, Sakura! Aim somewhere else! The stomach is one of the worst places to hit…it can be fatal!_ Sakura thought, panicked that her muscles froze. Neji, unmoving, quickly got to his senses and moved out of the way, but something terrible happened; her powerful jutsu hit her right in the triceps. She cried out loud, causing Naruto and Hinata to pause in their spar. Sakura slowly, achingly, sat down on the tree branch she was on. _Damn it. I knew it was too risky… Nice, Sakura._ She thought, a grim look on her face. Neji came by her side, his usual poker-face replaced with actual concern.

"Are you alright? Do you need help with anything?" he asked her.

She looked at him and smiled slightly, "Umm, can you get me down from this tree branch?" she asked sheepishly.

He nodded curly, "Sure, no problem." then wrapped a secure arm around her waist; he didn't want to hurt her already wounded arm.

She smiled warmly at him, "Thanks, Neji. I owe you one."

He cracked a small smile, "Ha. No, this is what friends do for, right?"

"Yeah…" even though I didn't think we were that much of friends… her mind added on silently. Did he get learn to grow emotions over the years? She asked herself.

"Hey! Is everything alright over there?" Naruto yelled across the field.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Yes, Naruto! I just accidentally hurt myself a bit!" she shouted back to him.

She knew she was blushing right now, because she felt the heat on her cheeks. And, it wasn't from Neji holding her right now - that didn't bother her at all - it was from her own actions. She was too stupid to not rethink the whole situation, and she ended up hurting herself. At least she didn't hit Neji in his stomach, or else things would have ended up much worse than the situation they were in currently. She was silently shaking her head.

Neji looked down at her in confusion, "Something troubling you?" he questioned her.

She met his gaze, "Oh, um, no, I'm just thinking about this jumbled up mess we have here, that's all." she told him truthfully.

"Ah." then he took a leap and they were on the ground.

She gently got out of his grasp. Naruto and Hinata came over to see what Sakura had hurt. From looking at her from there, it looked like her arm because it was bleeding. Hinata and Naruto's eyes widened. He came jogging towards them, Hinata walking a bit faster.

"A bit?!" he said, voice filled with sarcasm.

She huffed, "So. At least I didn't hit Neji's stomach,"

"Humph."

Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes, then started to heal herself.

* * *

Kakashi knocked softly on the door of the Uchiha residence. After a few moments, he heard a shuffling behind the door, then it opened softly. And what it revealed was a drunken, and sleepy Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened to see his old sensei, "Um, Kakashi, what are you doing here?" he slurred.

"Is Sakura home?" apparently he hadn't heard about their separating.

Sasuke's expression turned grim, "No, Kakashi. We divorced- or she did at least. She moved out two days ago, to live with Naruto and Hinata." he said darkly.

Kakashi's brow furrowed, "Ah. I see,"

Sasuke nodded and shut the door politely.

Kakashi just walked on the Hyuuga manor, there was something he needed to talk with Sakura about. First off was why her and Sasuke separated; he didn't really understand. He was the man of her dreams… right? He shook his head and smirked under his navy mask. One minute, he was confessing love to her and asking her to marry him, and the other they get divorced. He was definitely starting to get old… He sighed and pulled out his book.

* * *

"KYYYAAAAAA!!" came Sakura's scream.

Neji, Naruto, and Hinata bolted into the kitchen where Sakura was, and found her atop a counter holding a death-grip on the curtains.

"What is it, Sakura?!" Naruto said anxiously.

Sakura pointed at the ground, "C…ca…cockroach!" was her frightened reply.

Neji and Naruto let out a sigh of relief, while Hinata scampered behind Naruto; obviously afraid of the innocent little bug also.

"Oh, come on! It's just a stupid bug! There's nothing to be scared of," Naruto declared.

Sakura shot daggers at him, "Well, if you're a woman, you would be terrified of them! I mean, look at those legs, and the little things on their head, and…just ew!"

Then, Neji walked over there and stepped on it. Sakura's eye twitched and Hinata came out from behind Naruto.

"H-how can you kill that thing?" Sakura asked, finally coming down from the countertop.

Neji shrugged, "I donno, maybe because I'm not a woman, so therefore, I am not fearful of bugs." he smirked slightly.

Sakura had that 'you-lucky-bastard' look on her face, "Women have it hard, ya know." she said proudly, with her hands crossing over her chest.

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Well. Anyways, I'm going to take a shower; I'm utterly filthy." and with that, she left to the bedroom, to get some clean clothes.

When she arrived in there, she yawned and stretched like a lazy cat, feeling her muscles loosen. Then, she went to her drawers and pulled out a figure-fitting green dress. She usually wore it when she just wanted to be comfortable, it wasn't tight, it just hugged her in the right places. Then she chose a pair of matching undergarments, and her brush.

Sighing, she left the room and went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She walked up to the large mirror and took in her appearance. Her pink locks, just barely going past her shoulders- she wouldn't let it grow any longer- they were now a faded pink, not so vibrant as they were in the past, her pale skin contrasting with her mint green eyes, she could already tell a difference in her appearance. Two days ago, she would've had dark bags under her eyes, her hair would be tangled, and she would be even paler than her natural skin tone. She smiled, she would be much better living here. She left the mirror and took a seat on the toilet, and turned on the water, waiting for it to get hot. When it got almost scalding hot, she put a plug and let the water fill the tub, she decided she would much rather take a bath than a shower. She waited a few moments to let the tub fill, then stripped herself from her clothes and leisurely stepped into the scorching water. She hissed at first when her foot stepped inside, but got used to it.

She soon got her whole body inside and relaxed her head against the cushion behind her head. Yes, they even put mini-pillows that you could rest your head on. She laughed at all the all the effort they put in this place. Then she imaged Neji putting a little pillow in every bathroom, which made her laugh even harder. Then what imagined was all the others in the living room was what that crackling sound from the bathroom, which happened to be her laughter, was, and them thinking she was some maniac on crack. That made her double-over in the tub, she held her sides so she would stop shaking so much that the water went sloshing out of the tub.

* * *

Kakashi arrived to the door of the Hyuuga manor. He rung the doorbell, and after a few minutes, Neji answered the door.

"Hey… Kakashi." he said awkwardly.

Kakashi smiled and eye-crinkled at him, "Neji. Does Sakura happen to be here?" he asked politely.

Neji nodded, "Um, yeah. Let me call for her," he stepped out of the doorway so he could shout at Sakura, "Sakura! Kakashi is here, he needs to speak with you!" and turned back to the door.

They all heard a splashing of water, and then came out a drenched Sakura, only wrapped in a short towel. She smiled sheepishly and went to the door, when she faced Kakashi, she scowled.

He arched a silver eyebrow, "What?" he asked, looking offended.

She held the towel tighter on her, "You're going to pay for making me come out like this!"

"…"

She made her face softer, "Anyways, why do you need me?"

Kakashi placed a finger on his chin, "It seems like I haven't seen you for weeks. Can't an old sensei come by and see his favorite student?" he asked innocently.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Yes, of course! But can't you at least let me get in some proper clothes?"

He nodded and she shut the door. When she looked back into the living room, she had three pairs of eyes staring at her, "It's not polite to stare, you know…" she huffed, while also flushing.

Then she walked back to the bathroom to change into her green dress. After she got changed, she brushed her hair and put it up in a sloppy up-do, then she slipped on some simple black flip-flops, showing off her pretty pink nail polished toenails.

She walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Looking out the living room window, she saw Kakashi sitting patiently on a bench, reading that book of his. She walked out the front shoji doors and joined him on the bench. He looked over at her and eye crinkled, while also shutting his book with a loud clomp. She grinned at him.

Then her expression turned serious, "What did you need to talk with me about?"

"Um, first is, I visited Sasuke earlier today, looking for you," he saw her expression turn somber but continued on, "and he said you two got into a divorce. What's that all about?" he asked her kindly, trying not to hit any painful subjects.

She smiled slightly at him, but he noticed it never reached her eyes, "Well. The reason we got into a divorce was because of his own actions. You see, he had a drug and alcohol problem; and it bothered me so much for the past two years, I finally broke. I had decided I'd had enough, so I escaped, never wanting to return to it again. I was unhealthy there, Kakashi. My eyes always had gruesome black bags under them, my hair never smelt good; no matter how many times I washed it. And I was much paler. I can already tell just from two days of being here, I've had a tremendous change in my health. And I already know your other question; why have I been so distant from you, Naruto, Ino, and… everyone. It was because of that. I'm so sorry for not telling you guys earlier…" she explained to him, her voice stitching with sadness.

He nodded understandingly, "Don't you dare be sorry, its not your fault. I don't blame you for leaving that cold-hearted bastard. And, yes, that was my other question. You practically read my mind, didn't ya?" he said playfully, that made her smile and laugh. He had always loved her laugh.

"Thank you so much Kakashi. You always know how to make me feel better, I swear sometimes you are magical." she said, meaning every word she said.

He chuckled, then ruffled her bubblegum locks, like he always used to do when she was twelve. Then, he stood up, "Well, I got to meet up with the Hokage, I'm already half an hour late, she'll bite my head off if I'm any later," he smiled sheepishly under his mask, while also scratching behind his head.

"Ha ha. See ya, senpai." Sakura waved as he walked off, and with that she also walked back inside.

Naruto was the first to ask, "What did Kakashi-sensei need to see you for?"

She walked over there and sat on the floor, "He wanted to know why Sasuke and I got a divorce first, then he wanted know why I was locking myself inside that house from everyone. So, I told him." she said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He nodded, then looked back at Hinata, intending to start another deep conversation. She shook her head and playfully grinned at the two. About a half hour later, she found listening to the two chatterboxes became easily boring. The other Hyuuga prodigy wasn't helping either, he was just sitting there as silent as ever. So, she stood up.

"I'm going to go to the store, is there anything special you want me to pick up while I'm there?" she offered kindly, walking to the door, still facing them.

Naruto's ears perked up, "Huh? Oh, can you pick me up some more ramen Sakura-chan?" he begged.

She giggled lightly, "Sure. No sweat. Anything else?" she asked once again, looking at everyone.

Hinata smiled, "No thank you, Sakura-san." she said politely.

Neji shook his head softly.

So with that, she smiled, "Well, I guess I'm off. See you guys soon." then, she left.

When she was on the other side of the shoji doors, she squinted her eyes from the luminous sunshine and blocked it off with her hand, using it like a visor. Although, she did smile. _It's a nice day out today._ After a good moment of feeling the sunshine, she quietly walked down the streets. What made her beam get even wider was, she passed by Team 7's training grounds and found a group of twelve-year old genins and their sensei. She saw the girl in the team, she had dark brunette hair, and blue eyes. She was talking meekly to one of her teammates, clasping her hands together and blushing. Sakura's smile turned mournful, it looked like she liked the guy. Maybe even loved; that was doubtful. It reminded her of her own twelve year old self, chasing after the boy she so called 'loved'. A flash of dark onyx eyes passed through her mind and the taste in her mouth went bitter suddenly. She clenched her fist to where her knuckles turned white, turned, and walked on.

_Now, now, Sakura. Don't let that ruin this beautiful day._ She told herself mentally. So, she took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. She had arrived to the market faster than she had thought. She went inside and felt a blast of cool air-conditioned air; making the hair on her legs grow. _Damn, I just shaved too._ She thought disappointingly. She had picked up the ramen that Naruto had requested and had also picked up a few personal things for herself; cherry flavored lip gloss, more nail polish, and a romance novel, to keep her occupied throughout the long days. She saw Ino, in the bread isle, probably deciding what kind to choose. She smirked and walked up to her.

She lightly tapped her on the shoulder, to get her attention. And it sure did, it made her jump, while also turning around, "Oh, Sakura! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed with a small playful scowl.

Sakura chuckled, "Good day to you too, Ino. So how have things been between you and Choji lately?" she asked lightly.

Ino smiled slyly, "Oh, very good. In fact, wonderful!" she sighed happily, clasping her hands together.

Sakura smiled at her friend, "I'm glad to hear that. Oh, don't ask how I've been with Sasuke and his 'little' problem, because, I've already taken care of it. I've divorced and moved in with Naruto, Hinata, and Neji." even though Sasuke had told her not to tell anyone, she told Ino; she was her best friend after all!

Ino returned her smile and beamed back, "Good for you! I wonder what could happen there with you and Neji, ne?" she said flirtatiously, nudging her elbow with hers.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Oh, Ino! It always has to be about guys, doesn't it?"

They both laughed at that, "Well, Forehead girl, I have to pick out some bread, okay? See ya sometime soon- oh, wait. How about we meet up at the pub tomorrow? Sound good?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. I'll meet you outside there at around seven, and I'll bring along anyone who wants to come. Bye!" she waved to her friend, and headed off to the check-out lines.

Ino waved and went back to picking out bread.

It was nice to see Ino again. They had gotten over their rivalry a long while ago. Sakura paid for her items and left. It was almost sunset by the time she got out of there. Wow. Time sure does fly these days! She thought, shaking her head silently. And with that, she made her way home.

--

Whew! There you go. And, I'm terribly sorry that about the beginning! It's horrible! D: Well, I better get off, my eyelids are tempting to shut and fall asleep, so that would mean I couldn't post this chapter! That would be bad.

Okay, I will stop rambling! Hopefully the next chapter can be posted sooner!

Much Love,

NarutoFreakxD


	3. A day with Friends

Amour de Pecheur chapter three: A day with friends

-Sweat drops- So sorry if the last chapter was more like a filler chapter! It wasn't all that great either… Well surprisingly, I don't have much more to say! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, damn it!

_--_

"_The stones were sharp,_

_The wind came at my back;_

_Walking along the highway,_

_Mincing like a cat."_

-Theodore Roethke, "Praise to the end!"

* * *

"_Achoo!" _Sakura sneezed, "Looks like Ino already spread the news about me," she said to herself while also sliding the shoji doors open.

When she looked in the living room, where everyone is usually located, she found no one. _Hmm, that's odd. _Then, she heard a moan coming from Hinata's and Naruto's room. Her eye twitched. _Did NOT need to hear that… _Her inner self said, popping out from nowhere.

Flushing, she shouted, "I'm home!" while walking to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

She was still a bit surprised; Neji was nowhere to be seen. She just shrugged her shoulders and forgot about the subject. She put out Naruto's ramen to where he would see it, and kept her personal things in the bag. Then she walked off to her room and spread the things out on her bed. _I almost forgot, tonight I'm supposed to meet with Ino at the pub. _She reminded herself mentally.

"How about I wear my pretty strapless mint dress…" she spoke to herself.

So, she sighed and fumbled through the mess of clothes in her drawers. _Ah! There it is! _She cheered as she found the mint green dress. Hell, she couldn't remember the last time she wore this thing; she was surprised it wasn't dusty. Ino had given it to her for her _thirteenth _birthday. _I wonder if it still fits me… I hope so. Cause, I have grown. _So, she slipped on the light dress. And, it fit. She smiled. She added a dab of her cherry lip gloss and put some black heels on. She didn't bother to do anything with her hair besides brush it. She grabbed her purse which contained, her new lip gloss, her money, a compact, senbon (just incase), and that was basically it. She went out of the room, because she saw it was already 6:26 PM. She went down the hall to Naruto and Hinata's room, her heels clicking lightly to the contact of the wooden floor.

She put her face close to the door, "Hey, um, sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to invite you to go with me and Ino at the pub. Sound good?" she asked them, trying not to laugh due to their surprised gasps.

Then, she heard Hinata's shaky reply, "Um…sure Sakura-san. W-we'll have to bring Neji too," she added lightly.

She could hear Naruto's protest through the door but couldn't understand what he was saying. "Okay then you guys. You have to get ready now, we have to meet her there at seven. I'll be asking Neji while you guys get ready." and with that she walked back up the all to Neji's room, not even waiting for their reply.

Again, she put her face close up to a shoji door, "Um, Neji? May I please come in?" she asked politely, then heard him yell 'yes', so she slid the doors open and stepped inside.

She saw the room was just the same as hers, with a few different touches. When she looked at Neji, her hear tugged painfully. A photo album was in his lap; there were pictures of him and his team, some individual ones with him and Lee, and some with him and Tenten, just from what she could see.

She took a step back, "Oh, I can come back later if this is a bad-" he cut her off.

"No, no. Just looking at some old pictures, please, stay." he looked up at her with an emotionless face, but eyes filled with sadness and pain.

She nodded slowly, "Okay. I just wanted to invite you to something, to have a little fun and get some stress off of your shoulders. Do you want to come with me, Hinata, Naruto, and Ino to the pub?" she offered, biting her lip.

He frowned slightly, "I don't-" this time she interrupted.

She put a slight pout on her lip and made her forest green eyes large, "Please? It would mean a lot to us… I mean you never go out," she mentioned sadly.

Neji found that he couldn't say no to that face, so, "Err… fine. I'll go. What time do I need to be ready?" he questioned her.

Sakura's face brightened up, "Oh, thank you so much! And, actually, right now. We'll be meeting Ino at seven." she informed him with a charming smile, her lip gloss glinting with the light in the room.

He nodded briskly and she stepped out of his room. She walked back to her bedroom and practically jumped for joy. _Mission accomplished, Sakura! You got everyone to come! _She praised to herself mentally, doing a little dance. She stopped flattering herself and went out of the room.

"Why did I go in there in the first place?" she asked herself quietly, then left to go to the bathroom.

She pulled her lip gloss out of her purse and touched her already glossed lips up a bit. Then, she grabbed her brush and combed out the rest of her tangles. She was officially ready, so she smiled and strolled out of the bathroom. She saw Hinata and Naruto waiting out there in the living room. Hinata wore a light white sleeveless dress that reached right at her knees, and it had purple flowers to accent it. Naruto, he wore a black t-shirt with the Uzumaki orange swirl on the front and a pair of beige cargo shorts. Neji came out after a few minutes after she came out from the bathroom. Neji wore a form-fitting tee with a blue jacket over it, and some simple black pants.

Sakura grinned, "Everyone ready? It's almost seven," she reminded them.

Naruto beamed back at her, "Yeah, c'mon, let's go!" he said excitingly, tugging on Hinata's hand slightly.

Sakura smirked, "Okay then, let's get out of here." with that, she walked to the front shoji doors, expecting them to follow, which they did.

The spring night was cool and the sky was clear, making available to look at the glimmering stars in the sky. The air smelt fresh and clean, like it had been washed by the rain. The pub was only a few blocks away from the Hyuuga manor. _Hmm. If Kakashi's there, I should visit him. He did have to leave awfully early, so we never got a chance to really talk. _Sakura thought out of the blue. Kakashi was like the father she never had. Literally, she would rather have Kakashi as her father rather than her blood-relation father. Her mother told her the story: when she was no younger than three, her father left her and her mother behind for another woman-or as she would rather say, another slut. They got married and had kids, he never contacted her mother unless it was absolutely necessary. Shit, she can't even remembers what he looks like. Now, Kakashi, he held her when she cried, he always knew when she lied, and was just _there _for her. Unlike her bastard for a dad.

She hadn't even realized they were there until, "Sakura! You made it, and you brought everyone!" Ino's voice filled in her ears.

Sakura snapped out of her daze and hugged her blonde friend, "Oi, I didn't have to make Naruto and Hinata, but I had to throw Neji my puppy face!" she said with a glint of amusement in her voice.

Ino let go of her friend and giggled, "Wow, Neji. I know everyone falls for her face, but I wouldn't think you would!"

Neji crossed his arms over his chest, "Hn." was his arrogant reply.

The girls rolled their eyes, "Well, what are we just standing around out like idiots for? Come on let's get inside!" Sakura reminded them.

They all shared a laugh and walked inside. Once they got inside the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol slapped her in the face; metaphorically speaking of course. She scrunched her nose up at the smell, it reminded her of Sasuke. Although, living with Sasuke was much worse than going inside of a bar or pub. She shook off those thoughts and reminded herself to have a good time. Men leered at her as she entered, she just scowled at them. She felt Ino tugging at her arm and moving towards a table. She looked behind her, to make sure everyone was following behind, which they were. Once they arrived at the table, Ino sat by Sakura, Sakura sat by Neji, who was at the edge of the table, and Hinata and Naruto sat together. She felt Ino nudge her elbow with hers, so she looked over there. Ino just winked and directed her eyes to the guy she was sitting next to. Sakura rolled her own eyes.

Ino came close to her ear, "You are so lucky, you get to live with a single, strong, hottie!" she whispered

Sakura giggled, "Ha. But, I don't think _that's _going to happen any time soon, he's still getting over Tenten." she mentioned, especially quiet on the last part, making sure nobody but Ino could hear.

Ino pulled back and smiled sympathetically, showing that she understood. Then, she faced the table again, "So, what does everyone want?" she asked everyone rather loudly.

Hinata smiled, "Just some sake for me, please." she requested kindly.

Naruto fox-grinned, "Sochu will be it for me!"

"Sake." Sakura said simply.

"Some beer, that's all." Neji said lastly.

Ino beamed, "Okay, three sake's; for me, Sakura, and Hinata. Some liquor for Naruto, and beer for Neji. Correct?" she checked, to make sure she got it all right.

Everyone nodded, "Okay then! I'm off to get our drinks." and with that she left.

Sakura poked Neji in the elbow and smiled mischievously when he looked at her, "See? This isn't so bad isn't it?" she asked playfully.

He snorted, "Hn."

Sakura chuckled, "That sounds like a yes to me!" she winked at him.

Neji tried to hold back a smile, but he couldn't hesitate a small smirk.

Sakura turned towards Naruto and Hinata, "So when are you guys planning the wedding?" she asked excitingly, starting up a new topic.

Naruto beamed, "A month and ten days, and we have also decided who's going to be the best man, and who's going to the bridesmaids too," he looked at Hinata.

She nodded, "Neji is going to be the best man," she informed them, looking over at Neji. "and you, Ino, and Temari are going to be the bridesmaids!" she spoke cheerfully.

Sakura squealed, "That's going to be so awesome, Hinata! I'm already excited!" she encouraged her, leaning across the table to hug her friend.

Neji and Naruto just sat there and watched in amusement as the two women hugged across the table. _Women really are something. _The two men thought in unison. They spread apart and giggled at each other's actions. Sakura was glad she was able to enjoy stuff like this again, and not be trapped in her old dingy 'home'. Then, she heard a familiar voice-or grunt in pain. Genma. That must have meant Kakashi bashed him in the head for doing something perverse. Sakura giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. Naruto, Hinata, and Neji gave her odd looks.

She stopped giggling, "Oh, nothing. I'm just watching Genma get a good head-bashing by Kakashi." she answered nonchalantly.

They looked back at the table to see a big bump on Genma's head. They all shared a small laugh. They even heard him say, 'What the fuck was that for?!' and Kakashi just glared at him. Probably ogling a woman again. Then, Ino finally came back with the drinks.

She smiled brightly at all of them, "Here they are!" and her voice was just as cheery.

Naruto furrowed his blonde eyebrows, "What took so damn long?" he asked, while also grabbing his drink.

Ino's face turned to a deadly scowl, "Well _sorry _if the lines were really backed up tonight." she hissed.

He waved his hands in front of him for a silent apology, she ignored him and resumed to sit beside Sakura. She grabbed two sakes, one for her, and one for Sakura. Sakura bid her a small 'thanks' and took a sip. She closed her eyes and let the warm sensation run through her body, she could immediately feel her muscles lazing. She wasn't much of a drinker, so it didn't take that much to get her buzzed; at least two or three servings of sake. She didn't want to get drunk tonight, it just wasn't worth it to wake up with a blistering headache the next morning. She opened her eyes to see Naruto across from her, slamming down his liquor. She smiled and shook her head mentally. She switched her gaze over to Hinata, who was taking small drinks of her own sake. Then, she looked at Ino, who instantly slammed down her sake.

Sakura went wide-eyed, "Something wrong, Ino? I mean… you usually don't slam your alcohol." she asked, genuinely concerned.

Ino looked at her best friend and cocked her head to the side, "Me and my mom got into a pretty bad fight today…"

Sakura nodded, she fully understood. Usually Ino and her mother never got into fights, and when they did, it was like a living hell for them. Sakura patted her shoulder, offering her some comfort. Ino grinned, like nothing ever happened, Sakura just laughed.

Then, more silence.

Sakura closed her eyes once again and dipped her pink eyebrows in annoyance, "Dear lord! Why the hell is it so damned quiet?!" she asked between clenched teeth, then taking a drink of her sake.

Naruto shrugged, "If you want some action, go sit with Shiranui and Kakashi-sensei." he answered with a slight huff.

"Humph. I will then, see ya guys later!" she exclaimed, then got up from her seat and walked to the table Genma and Kakashi were at, bringing her sake.

Behind her, she heard Ino shout, "Damn it Naruto! Look what you did, you baka!" and she was pretty sure she heard a smack on the head and an 'ow!'.

She smirked. It was just like Naruto to do that. She didn't really _want _to go to their table, she just did it for kicks. And when she could see the table a bit better, she was surprised that Anko, Asuma, Raidou, or Kurenai weren't there, only Kakashi and Genma. At least there were plenty of open seats.

She stopped in front of the table and bit her lip, "Um. Is it okay if a sit here for awhile? Not that I want to, it's just everyone at my table have logs stuck down their throat…" she spoke metaphorically.

Both men chuckled a bit, "Yeah, go right ahead, Sakura." Kakashi spoke.

She took a step forward, before Genma patted his lap, "There's a free spot right here, Sakura-blossom." he said, then shot a attractive grin at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes and grinned back, "I think I'll pass, Genma-_kun_." she mockingly added the suffix after his name, then she took a seat by Kakashi.

Kakashi eye crinkled at her, "So, what's been on your mind lately?" he asked her politely.

Sakura put a hand on her chin and leaned on the table before speaking, "I actually have been thinking about something… What's it like joining ANBU?"

Kakashi's visible eye widened, "Sakura, are you thinking about joining ANBU?" he asked her more seriously.

She sighed, "Yes, now will you answer my other question please?"

Now it was Kakashi's turn to sigh, "Well, Sakura. This is a big decision to think about, ANBU isn't all fun and games. It's higher ranked missions, and of course, they're more dangerous. Much more than regular missions you get now." he informed her.

Sakura took the last sip of her sake, "Fine, fine. If it's _that _serious, I won't try out… but I just have one more question. Is it because you think I'm weak?" she asked carefully.

Kakashi shook his head, "Of course not Sakura, you've passed the Fifth! And it still amazes me that you can make craters in the ground, just by stepping your foot a bit too hard. If you want to try out, go ahead, I wasn't saying that you couldn't do it, I was just warning you."

Sakura smiled, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. Maybe… I will try. It is getting pretty boring just working in the hospital all day," she laughed a bit.

This time, Genma spoke up, "I think you would be one kick ass ANBU, go for it." he praised her.

She just giggled, "Well, I better be getting back to my table… See you guys!" and then she stood up and waved.

They both waved back, so she turned around and continued walking. She got to her table to see everyone was talking _now_. _Is it just me? _She mused. So, she took her seat by Ino and Neji.

"I'm back. With something to talk about to!" she said excitingly.

Naruto looked over at her, "Ooh, what?" he asked obnoxiously.

Sakura bit her lip, "Well, when I was talking with Kakashi… I told him I was thinking about joining ANBU, and he said that I would be perfectly capable. What do you guys think?" she asked anxiously.

Everyone's eyes widened, everyone except Naruto's, "I think that'd be great for you, Sakura-chan!" he responded to her with a grin.

Ino quirked her mouth to the side, "Hmm. Yeah, I think it would be good for you, because, you get to use your kunoichi skills, and your medical ones." she complimented her.

Sakura smiled and winked at her, "That's what I was saying, I want to use all of my talents, not just my medical ones. I-" then it hit her, "have to use the bathroom." she finished sheepishly, flushing.

They all laughed a bit, then she got up. The way to the bathroom seemed tough, with all the people. So, she squeezed in between people, but this one man was blocking the way, his back to her, obviously oblivious of her. She tapped his shoulder, and he didn't turn around.

After multiple times of tapping his shoulder, she spoke, "Excuse me, sir?" she said loudly, making sure her voice louder than the music.

He finally turned around, "What?" was his arrogant reply.

She clicked her tongue, "Well, I _was _going to ask you nicely, but now, nope. Get the hell out of my way, I've been tapping you for three minutes!" she snapped at him, her voice sharp as a razor.

He just smirked, "No. I don't want to."

She laughed dryly, "Do not make me hit you, you would not want that," she threatened him.

He laughed out of amusement, "A little pink-haired woman hitting _me_? You have to be kidding-" but he got interrupted by her fist hitting him square in the nose. He earned a nice crack and blood cascading down his mouth and chin. He stumbled back and landed on the floor with a loud crash. She smirked and wiped off the invisible wrinkles on her dress and stepped over the rude man who was now unconscious on the hard concrete.

When she arrived in the bathroom, she sighed and walked into one of the pink painted stalls. She went pee, washed her hands, and left. By the time she arrived at the table, Naruto was already passed out.

She leaned across the table to Hinata, "How many has he had?" she asked quietly, an amused look on her face.

Hinata chuckled, "About six," she said, while also counting with her fingers.

Sakura nodded. "Well, you better take him home, come back if you'd like." she suggested.

Hinata nodded and carried Naruto fireman's style, then waved to everyone. Then, Ino spoke up, "Well, I better get going too, I owe my mom an apology!"

Sakura glared at her, before mouthing "Do not leave me with _him_!"

Ino just laughed and waved. Sakura growled mentally. _Damn you Ino! You just had to leave me with Mr. Party Pooper! _It was no use griping inside of her head. So, she moved to sit across from Neji. She _was _going to get him to talk.

She smiled sweetly, "Okay, I'm going to ask some questions about you. Just to strike a conversation. First, favorite color?"

"Beige."

She nodded briskly, "Favorite food?"

"Rice balls."

She blinked before speaking again, "Favorite drink?"

"Water."

She sweat dropped. _Lords, can anyone be more plain? _"Okay. Favorite hobbies?" she asked next.

"Training."

She clenched her jaw, "Okay, the thing is, you give me a survey." she told him.

He nodded, surprisingly. "Favorite food?" he skipped favorite color because it was too obvious.

"Miso soup and sushi."

"Favorite drink?"

"A nice cup of warm green tea."

"Favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Mint chocolate chip."

"Favorite season?"

"Spring."

"Long or short hair?"

"Medium."

And they kept on surveying each other, even making each other laugh. Sakura knew she would make Neji open up to her. Now, her next step was to grow a friendship with the ice cube.

--

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Eh, sorry it's a little past the fourth, but still. :3 I still gave a semi-early update! I am just itching to do my next chapter right now, its full of surprises! But, it's late. And authors also need sleep too, ya know.

Much, much, love,

NarutoFreakxD


	4. Big News in Konoha

Amour de Pecheur Chapter Four: Big News in Konoha

A/N: Yes, big news it really is! I'm so excited about writing it! -Idiotically smiling- Okay, sorry. Oh, and I apologize for the lame title. I couldn't think of anything else.

P.S. Thanks for the support, it keeps me writing faster! Oh and sorry if they're out of character; it's a Neji x Sakura story, so that's what happens! It's going to be Neji more than Sakura, though.

Hint: Tension, tension, and more tension! There are going to be some sticky situations in later chapters! -Evilly laughing-

Okay, okay, I'll stop. On with the chapter!

Enjoy!

--

_I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful_

_When rain bends down the bough;_

_And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted_

_Than you are now._

-Sara Teasdale, "I shall not care"

* * *

Sakura woke up with a small headache, thankfully. She wasn't sure about Naruto, though. He'd probably wake up with achy muscles, a migraine, and a loud groan. The baka, he just _had _to have six servings of that strong liquor and pass out while he was at it. At least she wouldn't have to deal with his griping all day; she knew just what to do to get out of the house! She was going to spend some time with Neji today, if he liked it or not. So she got out of bed and looked at the clock, it was 8:22 AM. In her drawers, she picked out a pair of black pants, and a light white t-shirt, due to the humid weather. She walked out of her room quietly and walked into the bathroom. She brushed out her hair and set it in a high pony-tail, put a dab of mascara, and brushed her teeth. She was ready. With a click of the switch, she walked out of the room and entered the living room; where Neji was located. She grinned at him.

Neji smirked back, "What are you so happy about?" he asked in amusement.

She just giggled, "You'll see." then she grabbed a small piece of paper, grabbed a pen, and wrote a note to Hinata and Naruto when they got up. It read:

_Dear Naruto and Hinata,_

_Neji and I are going out for awhile! I hope you don't mind. We'll be back by lunchtime!_

_Lots of love,_

_Sakura_

She put it on the counter so they could find it when they woke up. Then, she walked up to Neji, grabbed his wrist, and walked out of the shoji doors.

He went bug-eyed in shock, "What are you doing? Where are we going?" he demanded.

Sakura laughed, "Calm down, we're going out for some ice cream! Then, we'll go to the park. I don't care if you don't want to either," she added with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, "It's just like you to do something like this…" he said with a small smile.

Sakura could hear the smile in his voice, so she let go of his wrist and smiled back at him. _I'm glad you're finally opening up to me, Neji. _She thought happily. "I forgot to ask you earlier, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

Neji snorted, "Cookies and cream." he replied bluntly.

Sakura giggled a bit, "Really? I would have thought you would've liked plain vanilla."

He didn't reply, just merely snorted again.

She mused about joining ANBU again. "When you joined ANBU, were the tests before you actually got in tough?" she asked him, looking up at him.

He raked a hand through his hair before speaking, "Yes, they were. But, that's all I can tell you. The details are classified." he told her.

Sakura nodded, "Oh, sorry."

He smirked, "No need to apologize."

Sakura smiled, then saw their destination in sight; the ice cream stand. She grabbed his wrist again and ran towards it. Neji allowed himself to be dragged by her. In a matter of forty seconds, they were there. Sakura sat on one of the stools and patted the one next to her, offering Neji to sit next to her, which he did. The young man who worked there smiled at the two.

"What can I get for you two?" he asked politely, leaning up on the counter.

Sakura smiled back at him, "Mint chocolate chip cone, please." she requested.

Neji's face stayed impassive, "Cookies and cream cone."

He nodded, "Coming right up." he told them before turning his back on them to prepare the cold sweets.

Sakura looked at Neji and scowled playfully, "You could've said 'please'!" she whispered while also hitting him on the arm lightly.

Neji chuckled a bit, "Well _sorry_." he said sarcastically, with a tiny grin.

Sakura rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but their ice cream was ready. "Here you guys go," the server said, placing their ice cream in front of them.

Sakura beamed and laid down the amount that was due, "Thank you!"

The man nodded, so Sakura and Neji got up and off the stools. Sakura skipped along the streets enjoying her icy treat. She looked next to her and saw Neji looking at her with amusement, she just smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

Neji's voice rang in her ears, "Where to next?" he asked her before taking a small bite of his own ice cream.

Sakura stopped skipping and put a finger on her chin in thought, then it hit her where to go. "Ooh! I know, just follow me!" she exclaimed, grabbing his wrist for the third time this hour.

And once again, Neji let himself be dragged across the streets of Konoha by her. He saw that she was leading them somewhere in the forest.

Sakura looked back at him, "Close your eyes, I don't want you to see where we're going." she told him with a mischievous grin.

He rolled his eyes and then closed them. After about five minutes, she told him to open them. And what he saw was breathtaking - it was an opening in the forest, it had a small glistening pond, a well, and a bench. The bench looked handmade.

Sakura let go of his wrist and walked to sit on the bench, "Do you like this place? I use to come here a lot when I was younger, only if I needed to get out of the house, or if I was sad. I still do, sometimes. Oh, and sorry if the bench is worth a shit, I made it when I was younger." she ended with a slight pink tint to her cheeks.

He just shrugged and sat down next to her. They sat in a comfortable silence and ate the rest of their ice cream. Then, all of a sudden, the bench snapped in half and they landed in an uncomfortable position. Neji was sprawled on top of Sakura's back side. He almost immediately got off of her. The impact caused Sakura to shove her nose straight into her ice cream.

Sakura laughed nervously, "Err… sorry… piece of shit bench…" she mumbled, then turned around to face him, while also wiping the minty ice cream off her face.

Neji coughed into his fist, "Don't worry about it, sorry for um… landing on you." he flushed saying the last part.

Sakura's blush intensified and she nodded in return, "We should be on our way home," she spoke softy.

"Yeah."

Then, they made their way out of the thick forest.

* * *

Gai was on his way to see his prized former student, Lee. He was just about to turn around the corner, when Izumo, stopped in front of him, out of breath. Gai stopped and lifted a thick black eyebrow at him.

Izumo spoke to him in between pants, "Gai-san…! Urgent news! Tsunade-sama wanted me to tell you first that… Tenten isn't dead!" he told him breathlessly.

Gai's eyes widened, "NANI?!" he screeched so loud that all of Konoha could hear it. "But… that's impossible! The traveler who told us she was dead-" Izumo cut him off.

"Was wrong. He was obviously lying, for what reasons, we do not know. But it's true, Tenten is in the village, but currently in the hospital." Izumo told him.

Gai practically jumped for joy, "I have to tell Lee and Neji!" and then he bolted off to tell his former students.

* * *

"NANI?!"

Sakura stopped in her tracks, "Did you hear that, Neji?" she asked him, hoping she wasn't going crazy.

Neji nodded slowly, "Yeah, it sounded like Gai,"

Sakura put a hand on her chin, "You want to go see what he's so wound up about?" she asked him.

Neji nodded and when they where just about to walk, Gai bolted in front of them. Sakura gasped and put a hand over her hammering heart, "Gai-sempai! We were just about to look for you,"

Gai smiled brightly, making a sparkle to his pearly white teeth, "Really? Well, Izumo just told me something that you two will be thrilled about!"

Sakura and Neji's eyes widened, "What?" they both said anxiously in unison.

"Tenten's not dead! I'm not lying, she's in the hospital right now." he said excitingly.

Sakura swore she almost fainted right then and there, "Oh my god." was all she had to say.

Neji was speechless; it's not every day you hear the woman you used-still loved who had supposedly died, was alive.

Sakura looked at Neji, concern filling her eyes, "Are you alright Neji?" she asked him, also putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He returned Sakura's gaze, "I'm fine. Can we go visit her at the hospital?" he questioned her and Gai.

Gai nodded and struck a good-guy pose. "First we have to get Lee," he told them before they sprinted off towards the hospital.

The two nodded and they went to get Lee.

* * *

All four of them sprinted to the hospital, as fast as their feet would let them go. Sakura was excited to see her friend. But, she wasn't as eager as Lee and Neji, she was like family to them. And before they knew it, they were at the service desk inside of the hospital. Miori looked up from her work.

She smiled brightly at all of them, "What do you need today, sirs-" she now realized Sakura was there, "and Haruno-san?" she asked them all politely.

Gai spoke up, "Tenten's room number please." he requested.

Miori nodded and looked back down at her papers, "…Room 146."

They all bid a quick thanks before heading straight for the stairs. Room 146 was only one floor up, thankfully. They got there in no time, they were walking down the hallway. When they reached her room, Sakura entered first, then Neji, then Gai, then, lastly, Lee. Tsunade and Shizune were currently in there. Sakura walked over to Tsunade.

"What's her condition, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked worriedly, biting her lip.

Tsunade looked up at her and smiled, "She had some severe injuries when she first came here, but Shizune and I took care of them. In detail, she had three broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and a concussion. She's just unconscious now, she should wake up pretty soon. If anything else happens, Sakura, I leave you to take care of that. Understand?" Tsunade ordered.

Sakura nodded briskly, "Hai."

Tsunade looked back at Tenten, "Okay then, I'll be leaving. Come on, Shizune!"

Shizune jumped and gasped, "C-coming Tsunade-sama!" and then left to follow her out the door, waving quickly at them all.

Sakura pulled up a stool and placed it beside Tenten's bed. Neji did the same action, while Gai and Lee just stood by her bedside. Neji reached for her hand and grasped it. Sakura felt a slight tug at her heart when he did that._ What was that all about…? _She asked herself mentally. Sakura clenched her fists so tight, her knuckles turned white. _Just forget about it… _She told herself silently. She looked at Tenten again, and what she saw made her sit at the edge of her seat. Her chocolaty brown eyes were started to open. She saw Neji's hand squeeze her hand lightly. Tenten's gaze turned from the ceiling, to Neji. She smiled and gently clutched his hand back. Everyone cheered, Sakura merely smiled at her friend warmly.

Then Lee latched himself onto her with a bone-crushing embrace, "Tenten-san! I'm so glad you're alive!" he told her with tears streaming down his face.

Tenten laughed a bit and hugged him back, "You think I would die that easily? Oh, I can hardly breath…" she added lastly.

Lee backed off sheepishly and smiled at her. "Gomen…"

Tenten giggled and looked around at everyone in the room, through her scanning, her eyes stopped at Sakura and widened, "Sakura? I didn't think you would be here."

Sakura smiled at her, "You're my friend! Why wouldn't I be here?" she said, giving her a painless smack on the shoulder.

Tenten beamed back and shrugged, then looked at the person next to Sakura, "Neji…"

Neji took a hold of her hand again and looked into her eyes, but said nothing.

Silence.

Sakura broke the muteness, "Well, I'm going out to lunch. _Alone_, I need some time to myself." then, she stood up and waved to them all.

The four of them just stared at her back and watched her leave so suddenly.

* * *

Sakura clicked the door shut and quickly walked down the halls to the elevator. When she got to the elevator, she pushed the down arrow. After a good two minutes, the sliding doors finally opened, reviling an elderly couple. Sakura smiled flakily and moved aside for them, then stepped in after they were out. She didn't know why she left Tenten's room so quickly, it felt like she just started talking and moving unconsciously. She leaned against the cool metal and let her head lay back on the hard surface. The ding of the elevator told her she was now on the main floor, she stepped out and walked near the exit, after giving Miori a small wave. Sakura was on her way to her favorite coffee shop, she always went in there before she had to go to the hospital to get a large cup of coffee on the go. The only time she remembered actually staying there was when her and Sasuke got into a huge fight. Whenever she does stay however, it's usually to relive stress. She turned around the corner and entered the coffee shop, making the bell ring above her head. She walked up to the counter. She saw Hoshi was working up there today, they became friends after Sakura made frequent visits there. He had black hair that went slightly past his ears, an inch or two, with long bangs past his eyebrows, a slight tan, beautiful azure eyes that any one would die for, and a slim, but still muscled figure. Sakura would have to say he was one of her most handsome friends-but that was her own secret.

Hoshi smiled warmly at her, "Good afternoon, Haruno-chan, I haven't seen you in couple of days." he told her.

Sakura giggled and smiled back at him, "Yeah, Tsunade-sama forced me to take a break. And, please, for the last time, call me Sakura! We've known each other for two years and you still call me by my last name; it makes me feel to formal." she said, acting as if she were annoyed.

Hoshi laughed bashfully and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, it's a habit. Would you like your usual, Ha- Sakura-chan? Which would be a chocolate cappuccino, correct?" he asked her with a smirk.

Sakura grinned, "You know me so well, yes. A large please." she requested politely before adding one more thing, "Um, do you think you could join me, Hoshi-kun?" she asked lastly, messing with the hem of her white t-shirt and biting her lip nervously.

Hoshi went wide-eyed and blushed a bit before speaking, "Uh, sure! This place is kind of dead anyways," he admitted.

Sakura's feelings of nervousness was replaced with a bright smile, "Arigato!" she thanked him brightly, then moving to a small square table by the window. She looked out the window, the skies were starting to get cloudy, due to the rainy season.

Hoshi came back with two coffees and handed her hers. She smiled at him for a silent 'thanks'. He just nodded before sitting across from her at the table.

She looked at his coffee, "What type of coffee do you like?" she asked him out of curiosity.

He glanced at his own drink, then back up at her, "Just plain black and a touch of sugar. Plain, I know." he chuckled.

Sakura laughed a bit herself, "Ah, don't worry. People are people!" she encouraged him enthusiastically.

He just eye-crinkled at her, "So, I heard you and Sasuke divorced, do you mind if I ask why?"

_Ino's done her part, I see. _She mused. "No, I don't mind. He has drug and an alcohol problem, and I got sick of it." she answered simply, taking a sip of her cappuccino. _Mm. I almost forgot how good and chocolaty these were. I'm on cloud nine._

Hoshi nodded understandingly, while putting a comforting hand over her own. She looked up at him with dull emerald eyes and raised a pink eyebrow, "If you need anything, I'm always here for you Sakura." he promised her.

Sakura's eyes softened, "Thank you." she said truthfully grasping his hand gently, then letting go.

He grinned broadly at her, "No sweat, that's what friends do!"

She smiled in return, "So, anyways, how's it going with you?" she inquired, leaning back in her seat.

"Oh, good-"

"Hoshi! Get your lazy ass back here before you get fired!" the managers voice boomed through the small shop.

He stood up and scowled before looking at Sakura, "Sorry, I got to leave. Next time, we can continue our conversation." he whispered, before turning to her again, "The coffee is on the house."

Sakura giggled, "It's nothing. And thanks, I'll be sure to tip you next time I'm here! See you, Hoshi-kun!" and after that, he left.

She got up as well and exited the coffee shop, with her cappuccino. She smelt rain in the air and felt the humidity stick to her like a second skin. _Yep, a storm is definitely brewing up. _She said to herself in her head. She loved the rainy season, it washed away all the dirt, taint, and pain. When she lived with Sasuke, she used to sit out in the rain and get completely drenched. She loved how after it always made her feel crisp and fresh. Like how antiseptic cleans the blood from a wound. She didn't want to go home right now, Hinata and Naruto were probably up and at the hospital, because the news that Tenten was home and alive has most likely spread. She took a sip of her warm, mouthwatering coffee and blissfully sighed. Perhaps she would stop by at home - just to change her outfit.

Sakura made her way down the streets, on her way home for a quick stop. Once she got there, she entered her room and rummaged through her drawers. She picked out a black skirt that stopped at mid-thigh, a fishnet shirt that reached her elbows, and over it, she put a red spaghetti strap top that had the Haruno circle on the back. She wore simple black boots that were right below her knees; the ones she wore when she was a Chuunin. They were her favorite shoes, stylish and comfortable. Then, she let her hair down, and left. Today was very empty; no one was on the streets, in shops, or _anything_. She wasn't going anywhere particular, she was just roaming around. Her gaze left her feet and looked forward, she saw a dark shadowy figure walking the opposite way of her. She squinted her eyes, only making them widen again. It was… Sasuke. What could he possibly be out for? Liquor perhaps, cigarettes, or just a walk? She was about to turn the other way, but that would be juvenile, so she kept walking straight. Sasuke must have realized it was her, because he started jogging towards her, so she stopped in her place.

He stopped in front of her, "Sakura," he started out.

Sakura kept on a straight expression, "Yes, Sasuke?" she responded flatly.

He looked at her in the eyes, "I've been looking for you, I need to tell you something."

She raised a coral eyebrow, "Enlighten me." she said dryly, then crossed her arms over her chest.

He put his hands atop her shoulders gently, but still firm, "I've quit. For you." he told her seriously.

Sakura narrowed her sea green orbs, "Everything?" she asked him sharply.

He nodded, "I only smoke cigarettes. That's all," he clarified.

She averted her gaze to her feet once again, "…I'm proud of you." she honestly spoke.

He put his finger on her chin to make her look at him, "I realized how much I needed you, Sakura. Please, please, come back to me… I'm still deeply in love with you."

Sakura tears sting up in her eyes, she put a hand to her face and vigorously wiped the unshed salty liquid away, "Sasuke, I… still love you too. But only for friends, your own faults made other feelings of love drift away. I'm sorry Sasuke… I can't be with you." warm tears streamed down her face.

Sasuke lifted his hand from her chin and wiped the tears away from her face, "Sakura, please-"

Sakura shook her head and got out of his grasp and took many steps back, "No… it's too much!" and then she turned her back on him and started running.

"Sakura! Wait!" she heard Sasuke call out for her.

Sakura ran all the way home and went straight in the backyard, sobbing. She wrapped her arms around her knees and brought them up so her head could rest on them. She felt light specks of rain pattering on her back, slowly growing. On the other side of the house, she could hear footsteps, probably Neji, Hinata, and Naruto. The rain now felt like a ton of senbon had stabbed her back, it was obviously getting heavier. She continued to bawl, ignoring the freezing rain.

* * *

Naruto, Hinata, and Neji rushed inside the house, even though they were already drenched. The doctors had ended up kicking them out, they had needed to do some tests. They were all ecstatic to see that Tenten was alive. As they were going inside, Naruto heard something outside, he decided to ignore it and look for Sakura in the house. He checked in her room, nothing. He looked in the kitchen, no one. Then, he strode to the bathroom. He even looked in Neji's room, and still nobody.

Naruto went back to the living room and scratched his head, "Has anyone seen Sakura-chan around?" he finally asked.

Hinata shook her head, "She might be outside, but it's doubtful. Still, you could check and see," she offered.

Naruto nodded, then walked to the shoji doors that led to the backyard. When he did look out there, he was surprised to see Sakura curled up into her own ball. He immediately kneeled down and wrapped his warm figure around her cold one.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing out here?" he asked her softly, but worriedly.

Sakura looked up with tears still flowing down her face, only to see her caring friend Naruto, "Naruto…" she managed to get out, her voice sounding cracked.

Naruto's eyes went wide, "Why are you crying?"

Sakura looked down, "I saw Sasuke today… he said he quit every thing, for me. It broke my heart into two because I wasn't in love with him anymore… Naruto, do you think he'll hate me?"

Naruto's eyes softened now. He shook his head, "Nobody could hate you, Sakura-chan; unless they were a total bastard. I don't blame you for not loving him anymore, I know you love him like you love me, but you're not lov_ers_ any more, right?"

Sakura nodded and smiled at him, "Naruto, you're the best friend anyone could ever have." she told him truthfully.

He grinned at her, "Back at cha," then he stood up, pulling her along with him.

Sakura felt her clothes stick to her like glue, because of the rain. It brought back memories, the first time her and Sasuke kissed.

Flash back:

_Sakura let her back lean on the hard wood, fighting back the tears that wanted to be set free. Today they heard Tenten had died, she wasn't best friends with Tenten, but they were still friends. She swallowed, feeling the hard lump in her throat and choked out a sob. Slowly, she slid down the smooth surface of the wood and let her emotions come out freely, even though she was on the street where everyone could see her, she didn't care. The rain drenched her clothes and made gooseflesh appear on her skin. They couldn't even find her corpse for Kami's sake! She heard quiet footsteps approach her. She brought her head up, to see onyx eyes staring down at her._

"_Sasuke…" _

_Then, he bend down and grabbed her waist lightly, and pulled her up into an embrace. He was equally wet as her. She went wide-eyed and pulled back slightly._

_He just looked her in the eyes, "Relax, everything's going to be alright." then he pulled her back into the tight hug, running his arms up and down her back comfortingly._

_Sakura gave in and wrapped her arms around his muscular form, "I-I'm sorry…for crying…" she choked out in between sobs, she felt the rain start to pour harder._

_This time he pulled back a bit, "Don't be sorry." he told her quietly._

_Sakura looked up and nodded slightly. That's when he started to lean down, his hand on the small of her back slowly going up to cradle her head. Sakura froze, not knowing what to do. Sasuke tilted his head and pressed his lips to her dry ones. Sakura's eyes widened even more. His lips softly massaged hers, she felt her knees go weak. She slid her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around his neck and responded. He slid his tongue across her bottom lip, asking for entrance, she gladly parted her lips. Their tongues took turns on caressing each others._

_Sakura pulled back slightly for breath and rested her head on the crook of his shoulder. They stood there in each others arms, ignoring the rain._

End of flashback

Sakura didn't regret that memory. It was one of the few she liked with Sasuke. Naruto led them back to the living area. Hinata gasped and ran up to her friend and husband, Neji following silently behind.

"Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, are you alright?" she asked them, worry filling her soft voice.

Sakura smiled and nodded at her friend, "We're alright, don't worry." she confirmed.

Naruto grinned broadly, "Heheh, what she said," he chuckled, pointing to Sakura.

Neji finally spoke up, "After you left the hospital, where did you go, Sakura?" he questioned out of curiosity.

Sakura looked up at him, "To a coffee shop." she answered simply.

He merely nodded in response.

Sakura shivered, "I'm going to go take a scalding hot shower now," she decided, while turning around towards the bathroom.

Everyone laughed a bit.

* * *

After Sakura got into the bathroom, she almost immediately stripped of her saturated clothes. She shivered again, her body was still slick with rain. She sat on the toilet and turned the knobs on for the shower, then she stepped in the already steaming blast of hot water. She hissed at first with the contact, but soon got used to it. She reached for the body wash and read what kind it was; sandalwood and musk. She shrugged and squeezed it on her fingers. After washing her body so clean until her skin go pink, she reached for the shampoo, it was lavender scented. She washed her hair twice and in the middle of the second one, she realized she forgot to get her change of clothes. _Fuck. _She said inwardly. She rinsed out her cotton candy locks then bent down and twisted the knobs. The jet stream of the shower faded. She stepped out and thanked Kami, there was a lavender robe. It came up to her knees, perfect length, or so she thought. She dried her hair with a fluffy white towel and tied the robes drawstring into a tight knot. _I'm sure Hinata won't mind. _

She stepped out of the steamy bathroom and went straight to her room. The door slid silently shut behind her, she walked over to her dark wooded drawers. She opened the bottom one; containing her pajamas. She pulled out one of her favorite pairs, a pair of red boy-shorts with the Haruno circles all over them, and a white spaghetti strap top. She picked up the light purple robe from the floor and tucked it underneath her arm. She walked out of her room, sliding the shoji doors shut, then walked back to the bathroom, to return the robe. She shook the last thoughts of Sasuke out of her head. She stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the living room, only to see it was 4:56 PM. _Gah, time sure pass by. _She mused, shaking her head. She saw it was still pouring outside. Now, finally noticing, no one was in the living room. She walked into the kitchen, everyone was there.

She saw Hinata preparing dinner, "Oi, I can help you with that Hinata," she offered with a bright smile.

Hinata turned around and beamed back, "That would be nice, thank you." she spoke meekly.

Sakura winked at her and walked over there, "Ah, don't mention it." she paused and looked at the stove, "So, what are we having this evening?" she asked politely.

Hinata turned back to the stove, "Tempura donburi."

* * *

"This is amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, with his mouth full of food.

Sakura chuckled, "Don't expect it a lot, it took us two whole hours!"

"We don't have dinners like this very often…" Hinata added softly.

Sakura looked at Neji, silently eating. "Does somebody have a cat stuck on their tongue?" she asked him playfully.

He just grunted.

Sakura rolled her eyes and finished the last bite of her delicious dinner. She got up, rinsed her plate, then walked out the front shoji doors. She sat on the hard wood of the porch and let her feet dangle off the edge, rain droplets pattering them softly. She closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose, smelling the freshness of the rain. She exhaled a pleasant sigh slowly. She could hear the shoji doors sliding open, she twisted her head around to see Neji. She smiled slightly. He nodded back at her, then walked and sat next to her.

She looked at him and shifted her head to the side, "What are you doing out here?"

He returned her gaze, "I was about to ask you the same thing. But for me, some fresh air." he replied.

Sakura nodded and looked at the rain again, "I love the rain, that's why I'm out here. It's so peaceful."

He snorted, "Yeah, until the thunder and lightning comes in."

She laughed a bit, "Do you want to take another walk tomorrow?" she asked him.

He sighed, "Maybe a short one; I was thinking about visiting Tenten, Tsunade said she'd be getting out of the hospital tomorrow." he informed her.

"Oh, um, we don't have to then-"

He looked at her and smirked, "No, I want to."

Sakura smiled, "Okay then." she said lightly.

--

Sorry again for the super lame title. I didn't want to spoil anything, plus I couldn't think of anything else. Well, I hoped you liked this extra long chapter. I surprised myself; it's not 12 in the morning!

Always loves the support.

Much Love,

NarutoFreakxD


	5. As time Passes

Amour de Pecheur chapter five: As time passes…

A/N: Mkay, I've decided to twist things up a bit! A few moths pass by, and when I say that, I mean the rest of spring and summer. So, it's now taking place in autumn. Well, I'll inform you of what happened in those few months; Tenten gets out of the hospital, Neji and Sakura take daily walks, learning more and more about each other, Sakura finally got into ANBU, as a medic-nin, but still worked in the hospital as much as she could, and… Ooh, I don't want to spoil that! If you're wondering about Hiashi-sama, he died of old age.

Disclaimer: I don't have as big of a mind as Masashi Kishimoto… so, therefore, I don't own Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, Neji-kun, Hinata-chan, or Tenten-san. Or any other Naruto characters. Goddamn it. D:

P.S.: If you are sensitive, get a box of Kleenex. You'll need them later, only if you cry easily. I don't really have _only _two genres for this story, I have like four; Angst/Romance/Drama/Humor. Just thought I'd let you know.

Enjoy!

--

"_All human beings should try and learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why._

-James Thurber

* * *

Sakura groaned and rolled over onto her opposite side, pulling the covers with her. She glanced back at the clock, 5:13 AM. _Fuck it, I can't get to sleep, so I might as well not even bother to try. Stupid fucking insomnia… _She cursed inwardly, rolling off the futon. Goosebumps crawled on her pale skin, it was a chilly fall morning. She wrapped her arms around her self then quietly walked out of her room, not bothering to slide her door shut. She walked to the kitchen and opened up one of the mahogany cabinets, looking for something strong to drink. She ended up finding some green tea. She set up the pot on the stove, and boiled some water. Putting the tea packets in with it. After a few moments, it was ready. She opened up a different cabinet this time, the ones that had all the mugs and cups in it. She pulled out her favorite black one, it had the Haruno circle imbedded into it's hard surface. She smiled; this was the mug Kakashi gave to her last Christmas. She grabbed the teapot and poured the steaming liquid into the cup. Now, she brought the mug up to her nose and inhaled deeply, smelling the tea's substance.

"Up already?" Neji's voice startled her.

Sakura gasped and set her mug down, while putting a hand over her hammering heart, "Shit Neji, you scared the living daylights out of me!" she exclaimed in a whisper tone, since Naruto and Hinata were still asleep.

He smirked and leaned against the doorframe, "Gomen. Anyways, you didn't answer my question." he reminded her.

Sakura rolled her eyes and grunted, "Insomnia struck, I didn't get one peep of sleep." she paused and grasped her tea again, then took a cautious sip. "Want some tea? I won't be able to drink it all… and I presume that insomnia captured you too?"

His smirk widened, as he walked towards her, "You guessed right. So, what kept you up this time?" he asked lightly, preparing himself a cup of his own green tea.

Sakura moved aside from the stove an cabinets, "Nothing really. What kept _you _up?" she asked this time, in a mocking tone, then taking another sip.

He shrugged, "Nothing much, either. I'm going to visit Tenten today," he added.

She just nodded sharply in return. _Of course… I should've known. He's visiting her a lot more, now lately. We barely have any time to take our daily walks. _She thought bitterly. But, she really shouldn't be jealous, he most likely still loves her. _Why would I care anyways? It's not like I have…feelings…for him? _She dropped the mug, it hit the ground with a hard crash, the glass breaking into many pieces.

Sakura gasped, "I-I'm so sorry!" then she bent down to pick up the glass.

Neji went wide-eyed and looked at the many pieces of the mug, "It's fine. What made your fingers slip, though?" he asked her, also kneeling down to help her.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows together, "Bad thoughts…" she replied to him bluntly, sweeping the last of the mug fragments into her palm.

He merely nodded in reply, while standing up. He held his hand out, to help her get up. She took it and pulled herself off the ground.

"Thanks," she spoke quietly, then moving towards the trashcan to throw the glass away.

She turned to him again, "Neji, instead of both of us going on a walk today, I think I need to go by myself… to think some things out, that's all. Do you mind?" she asked him, biting her lip.

Neji shook his head slowly, "I don't mind." he told her nonchalantly.

Sakura beamed at him warmly for a silent 'thank you'. "I'm going to get ready for work a bit early," then, she walked to her room.

She closed the door behind her. She walked across her room to her drawers, she pulled out a black pencil-skirt, and a white oxford blouse to go with it. It was typical and aloof. She pushed the sleeves of her oxford shirt up to her elbows. She tied her glossy locks into a messy bun. Then, lastly, she put on her black heels.

She walked out of her room and hollered at Neji, "Tell Hinata and Naruto I'm at the hospital for work!" and then she left.

* * *

Before Sakura left, she saw it was 6:32. And _just _when she stepped through the hospital doors,

"Haruno! Put these files away immediately!" a dark haired nurse sneered at her, shoving the files into her hands.

Sakura raised a strawberry eyebrow, then smiled brightly and plastically, "I'll be delighted!" she spoke, sarcasm dripping on each word. Then, without waiting for her response, she spun on her heels and headed to the back room, which held the file cabinets. She put them away silently and quickly, a tense scowl set on her pretty features. Most of the nurses didn't like her, only because she was Tsunade's favorite and got more attention from her. Most of them treated her like trash off of the streets, so she treated them the same. She was nice to all of them at first, but once they wouldn't return the kindness, she just shrugged and said, 'fuck it, if you treat me like shit, I'll treat you like shit, too'. Only one person in the entire hospital was nice to her, besides Shizune and Tsunade. Miori, the one who worked at the front desk. Sakura was friendly and caring to her. She liked Miori because she showed no signs of envy or hate, just warm-heartedness and cordialness. She put the last file in and sighed, leaving the room swiftly. As soon as that happened, her name came on the intercom, saying:

"Haruno Sakura, come to room 305, repeating, Haruno Sakura…!" came a rushed and frantic voice.

Sakura wasted no time and rushed up the stairs; the elevator would take too long. She went two steps up at a time. She reached the second floor and ran down the hall, she stopped in front of room 305 and pulled on it's metallic form. She saw Shizune and Tsunade hunched over a young man, desperately putting green chakra into his body. She jogged into the room and stood next to Shizune.

Without even looking at him yet, she asked anxiously, "What's his condition?"

"The bastard almost committed suicide by stabbing a kunai in his chest, just barely missing his heart. But he was already damaged too, he must've drunk on at least five bottles of whisky, _and _he was smoking drugs." Tsunade growled out.

Sakura gasped and looked down, but in midway of her gasp, it caught in her throat. Only to look at the unconscious face of Uchiha Sasuke. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. Sakura set her cold hands down on his chest, putting as much healing chakra into his body as she could. _I can't let you die… I may not love you like I used to, but I still love you! _She mused. So far, there were no signs of him waking up yet, she flared her chakra even more. Nothing was working, even with the three most skilled healers in the whole village of Konoha. Suddenly, Tsunade stopped and stepped back, turning her head to look at the wall.

"Stop." she commanded softly.

Sakura jerked her head up, "Tsunade-shishou! No we can't he's-" Tsunade interrupted her.

"Sasuke is dead. There's nothing we can do!" she exclaimed, finally looking at Sakura and Shizune.

The women both stopped and stepped back. Shizune looked at Sakura, "I'm so sorry, Sakura…" then she put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Sakura eyes were wide with terror and her mouth was agape. She just shook her head, trying to make herself believe that this wasn't happening. _He's not dead, he's not dead, he's not dead, damn it! Sasuke is stronger than this! He wouldn't die on all of us… _But whenever Sakura looked at him, that gash in his chest told her she was wrong. She walked over there and grabbed his cold, pale hand, holding it like it was her lifeline. She had to be strong, she can't cry. Her eyes objected as warm tears cascaded down her soft face.

Tsunade watched the poor pained girl, "Sakura, go home. We don't need you here today, take at easy today." she told her, not giving her a choice.

Sakura nodded dumbly and squeezed Sasuke's hand before walking out of the room slowly. Sakura paid no attention to the scoffing nurses, her mind felt paralyzed, she was still moving, but her mind kept repeating one thing: Sasuke's dead. That's all that ran through her mind. _Dead. Sasuke's dead…? _The words somehow didn't seem to fit together.

Sakura slowly walked down the streets, unconsciously walking home. She sighed and slid the shoji doors open. She stood in the middle of the room, "I'm home… already." she dryly spoke, loud enough for Neji to hear.

He walked in the living area, where she was located. "Ah, so I guess Tsunade had the rest of the day off?" he asked lightly.

She nodded slowly. Then it all hit her at once, "Oh god… h-he's dead…" Sakura dropped to her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Neji stood up, "Who, Sakura, who's dead?!" he asked alarmed.

Sakura started to hyperventilate. "Sasuke…! H-he killed himself… Oh, god! It was my fault he died-"

Neji walked over there and put his strong hands on her shoulders, "No, it's not your fault that he killed himself, Sakura. You didn't do anything to him; you are a kind, caring, and forgiving person. Don't go thinking he committed suicide because you left him, because you make your choices for good reasons, and you had good reasons to leave him. So don't blame yourself, okay?" he told her soothingly, with a small smile.

Sakura looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. Then, she threw her arms around him, "Arigatou, Neji." she said with a cracked voice.

Neji didn't move away from her, he just returned the hug by gently stroking her back, she probably needed the most comfort she could get right now. He felt his shirt dampen slightly, he didn't really care at the moment. _Tenten can wait a little while. _He thought to himself.

"I-I'm so sorry for crying, it's pathetic." she sniffed, gripping the fabric of his shirt.

Neji shook his head, "It's perfectly fine, Sakura. Everyone cries once and awhile," he told her understandingly, with a small smile.

Sakura sniffed again and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I best go tell Naruto and Hinata. Poor Naruto…" she trailed off, then slowly got out of the comforting embrace. She started to walk off when she turned around suddenly, "Thank you again, Neji. You're a great friend." she finished with a small grin.

He just smiled slightly and nodded once, then also getting up from the hard wood floor.

_Friend. _She repeated in her mind. She told herself to shake off those types of thoughts. Finally, she made it to Naruto and Hinata's bedroom, her heels echoing off the floor. She didn't bother to knock, they were asleep, so she just slid the door open and walked in quietly. She smiled at the sight she was seeing; Hinata curled up right by Naruto, her arms wrapped around his waist, while Naruto's hands covered her own. Sakura bit her lip and walked up to the queen-sized bed.

She keeled down, "Naruto, Hinata, wake up…" she whispered.

It didn't wake them, so she shook Naruto slightly. "Naruto, wake up!" she spoke in a harsh but quiet hiss.

He finally started to open his indigo eyes. He blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep from his eyes. "Sakura-chan? What's the matter?" he asked her, while also yawning.

Sakura looked down at her feet, then back up at him. She sighed, "Naruto, get up. You'll need to sit down, there's no need for Hinata to come."

He nodded slightly, then got up from the bed, careful not to wake his wife. Sakura also got up, walking towards the door, anticipating that he would follow. They both walked into the kitchen. She leaned on the counter, Naruto across from her. She focused her gaze on the floor and twisted her mouth into a grim line.

"Naruto," she gritted her teeth, holding back the lump forming in her throat. "you might not understand, but… Sasuke is…" she paused and took a deep breath. "D-dead." she managed to get out, her voice low.

Naruto went wide-eyed and his mouth gaped open. "You're messing with me, right?" he got no reply. "…Sakura-chan? It's true?"

She tucked her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded, no longer being able to talk.

He laughed mirthlessly, "That's just _fucking _great."

His first reaction would be anger, then sadness and remorse. "Me, Shizune, and Tsunade tried to save him, by the time I got there, he was already dead. I still feel guilty." she informed him weakly.

"Naruto-kun?" came Hinata's soft voice.

Sakura looked up to see a tired and confused Hinata. Naruto also turned around, he walked over to her and put her in a bone-crushing embrace. Hinata looked quizzically at Sakura and returned Naruto's hug.

Sakura clasped her hands together. She returned Hinata's gaze, "Sasuke just died today, Hinata." she said somberly.

Hinata gasped and her eyes widened, she pushed a little so she could see Naruto's face, "I'm so sorry,"

Naruto looked down slightly and sighed, "Don't be, it's not your fault." he said gravely.

Neji walked in the room and looked at the scene. "Everything alright in here?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Sakura gave a small shake of the head. The air felt tense and thick, she tried to fix it by asking, "How about we all go to Ichiraku's and try to forget the situation, okay?"

They all nodded in agreement. Sakura smiled slightly, the happiness not reaching her eyes. "Let's go then." and with that, they left.

* * *

The weather felt absolutely amazing today, it wasn't very humid, the skies were cerulean, and the wind was soft and cool. Sakura laughed to herself, _what perfect weather for a perfect day. _She was obviously being sarcastic. She pulled up a small, pale hand and pushed some pink strands of hair away from her eye. The Ichiraku stand was in sight, she sighed in relief; the dreadful silence would finally be over. They reached the stand, Hinata sat down by Naruto, Sakura sat on the other side of Naruto, and Neji sat next to Sakura.

Ayame looked up at them and smiled, "What can I get for you guys today?" she asked brightly.

"Usual." Naruto requested, the spark in his eyes disappearing.

Sakura focused on her nails. "Pork, please." she ordered politely.

Hinata offered a small smile, "It will be the usual for me too,"

"Beef, _please_." he mocked, looking at Sakura with a slight smirk.

Sakura looked at Neji and half-smiled.

Ayame nodded and smiled, "Alright then, coming right up!" she said enthusiastically.

She got four blank stares in return. Ayame twitched and turned around to enter the kitchen. Sakura raked her nails through her hair roughly, pulling some strands out. _Just forget, keep your mind off of it… Focus on talking to Neji, because I know Hinata will try to comfort Naruto. _Sakura clenched her short nails into her palm, causing little crescents to form in her skin. She felt something warm close over one of her closed fists.

She looked up to see it was Neji's hand. Her eyes widened a bit, "Neji…?"

Neji smiled at her softly, "Sakura, if you need anything, you know I'm going to be there for you, right?" he assured her.

Sakura returned the small smile and nodded a couple of times. "Thank you, again. I can't tell you that enough." she untwined her fist and gave his hand a small squeeze.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Naruto and Hinata having a private conversation. Sakura returned her gaze back to Neji. His pearly eyes always somehow made her stare into the depths of them; they were beautiful. Ayame's voice tore her stare.

"Food's ready!" she chirped cheerfully, setting down the steaming bowls in front of them.

They all nodded in return. Hinata tapped Sakura's shoulder, she turned her head around to see her smiling, "What is it, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed, "I have something that might cheer you up," Sakura nodded for her to go on. "Sakura, Neji, I… I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed excitingly.

Sakura grinned largely at her friend, "I'm so happy for you, Hinata-chan!" she looked over at Neji, his eyes were widened and his mouth was wide open. She hit him on the shoulder playfully, "C'mon Neji, aren't you happy for your cousin?"

Neji snapped back into reality and nodded quickly. "Of course I am, I just… wow."

Sakura winked at Hinata, "We'll help you all the way through it. Oh, here's a warning for you Naruto, women get _very _hormonal when pregnant. Just imagine them two times as bad than when they're on their period." she informed him with a smirk.

Naruto groaned, "Oh god. This'll be one show."

Sakura chuckled, "Me, Neji, and Naruto will help you all the way through it, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled, "Arigatou."

They turned to their food, "Itadakimasu!" they all chimed.

* * *

(One month later)

Sakura traced her finger on the cold stone, tracing the engraved letters: Sasuke Uchiha. She visited his grave everyday, the same with Naruto. Neji even came sometimes. Her heart wrenched for him every time she visited his grave, but she never cried for him anymore. Things were started to look up, Hinata's belly was slowly growing, Tenten was finally better, and Tsunade was retiring and she was offering Naruto to take over as the seventh Hokage, of course, Naruto was thrilled. Sakura was so happy for those two, a silent smile graced her features.

Naruto looked over at his best friend, "What're you thinking about, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura closed her eyes, "I'm so happy you and Hinata are having your dreams come true." she told him.

Naruto grinned. "What about you, Sakura-chan? Are you happy?" he asked her seriously.

Sakura bit her lip, "I… don't honestly know, Naruto." she replied truthfully, wrapping her jacket tighter around her figure, due to the October winds.

Naruto frowned a bit and looked into her eyes, "Are you still hung up over Sasuke?" he asked her carefully.

Her pink eyebrows furrowed a bit, "No." she said in a low monotone.

He chuckled a bit and waved his hands. "Oi, oi, just asking…" he put a hand on her shoulder before continuing, "I was meaning also, are you ready to love someone intimately again?"

Sakura set her hand on top of his own. "As long as they don't have any drug or alcohol problems are first. Next is, I don't want them to hurt me. Last is, they're always there when I need them…" she sighed. "But, yeah, I think so." she finished with a smile.

Naruto smiled back, "I hope you find that somebody soon, and," he paused. "I think you will."

Sakura raised a rose eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, silently questioning him.

Naruto smirked. "You'll know what I mean once it hits you."

Sakura laughed and hit his forearm jokingly, then stood up, "Let's be getting back now,"

"Yeah." he agreed, also pushing himself up and off the grassy ground.

They spared one last glance to Sasuke's grave before heading out on the busy streets of Konoha. It was a beautiful day out, the leaves flowing in the air with the rhythm of the wind in all sorts of colors, yellow, orange, red, and mixed. The air smelt crisp, with a slight hint of spice. Lastly, the temperature was chilly, but not cold, all you would need is a light jacket.

She looked at her blond companion and grinned, "You know how your birthday is in ten days, right, Naruto?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he answered, chuckling a bit.

Sakura giggled, "Well, since Hinata is pregnant, you won't be able to drink _any _alcohol, she would think it's unfair," she told him with a glint of amusement in her jade eyes.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and his draw dropped. "Nani?! That's not fair!"

Sakura smirked, "Well, it's your own fault for making her pregnant." she said wryly.

Naruto blushed a bit and continued moving forward, putting his face in a small pout. Sakura just smiled and shook her head a bit. A comfortable silence was between the two now. Sakura thought about Naruto's earlier statement: _I hope you find that somebody soon, and, I think you will. _He had told her, she was still confused about it. Just what did he intend it to mean? Somebody calling for them broke her of her thoughts and the tranquil silence.

"Naruto! Sakura!" Sakura and Naruto paused in their steps and turned around to see Tenten running towards them with a big grin on her face.

She finally caught up with them, out of breath. "Hey, are you guys on your way home?" she questioned them.

Sakura smiled lopsidedly at her bun haired friend, "Uh, yeah. Wanna come with us?" she offered politely.

Her grin got wider, then she linked arms with Sakura. "I'd love to!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, then the three continued their way to the Hyuuga residence.

Sakura snickered at her friends eagerness. _I bet she's just coming to see Neji. _Where the hell did that come from? Sakura maintained to keep a fake smile, but inside her head she was scowling. Was she experiencing jealousy? That was very unlike her… She tried not to think about it, but it kept running through her head. Then one question popped up, over all the time and walks she had spent with Neji, had she grown… feelings for him other than friendship? She pondered carefully over the question for awhile.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts as a hand waved in her face. "Hello, Sakura! We're here!" Tenten informed her.

Sakura looked at her, "Oh, sorry, I was spacing out." she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

Tenten snorted, "Well obviously."

She looked over at Naruto, he was giving her a sly smile, she glared at him. _Pervert. He's turned into another Jiraya. _Sometimes Naruto would comment about how much she is like Tsunade, she would just roll her eyes and say she didn't have a gambling or drinking problem like her, he would say she's got the temper like her, though. Then she would smack him on the head, leaving an angry red bump.

The three of them stepped inside of the house. Hinata was probably in the kitchen making lunch for them all. Neji however, was probably in his room, since he wasn't in the living room.

"Neji! Get out here, there's a visitor!" he hollered to him.

Slowly, they saw Neji's shoji door slide open. Sakura watched as he came out, with an emotionless expression, until he saw Tenten, Sakura swore she saw something flick in his eyes.

Tenten raised a hand up for a greeting. "Hey," she spoke softly, a small smile on her face.

Neji smiled slightly as well, "Hi."

Sakura shifted on her foot uncomfortably. "I-I'll go help Hinata with lunch…" she stammered, without waiting for a reply she moved towards the kitchen.

Sakura sighed and looked at Hinata reaching for some spices. "Hey, I came in here to make the lunch. You need to go rest, you are pregnant after all." she remarked.

Hinata looked at Sakura and jumped a bit, "Oh! Um, you don't need to Sakura, I'm perfectly fine," she assured her, a smile tugging at her lips.

Sakura shook her head and grabbed her friends elbow gently and walked her into the living room. "Now, now, go enjoy yourself."

Hinata just smiled and nodded, finally giving up. She walked over to the couch and sat next to Naruto, kissing him softly on the lips. Oh, how Sakura missed having lips on her own. Her heart tugged slightly to think about that stuff, so she turned back to the counter. She decided she was going to make sandwiches for them all, since it was the simplest thing. She opened a cupboard and pulled out the white bread, she picked ten slices out; two for Neji, two for Naruto, two for Hinata, two for Tenten, and two for herself. She walked over to the refrigerator and brought out the items she was going to put on the simple sandwiches, then set them down on the counter. She peeled apart pieces of lettuce and set them on the bread, then she started to slice the tomato, but then felt a slight pang in her heart. _Sasuke. _Ran through her already troubled enough mind. She took a deep breath and continued to cut the red fruit. _Oh, I forgot the ham… _She told herself, silently laughing at herself for being careless. She once again, walked over to the refrigerator and bent down, looking for the ham. She found the package of smoked hand and clutched it. Closing the refrigerator door, she walked back to the counter, again, then finished making the sandwiches, adding mustard for a final touch.

She put the sandwiches on plates, then set them down on the dining table. "Hey, lunch is ready!" she yelled to the others, then moving to sit a the foot of the table, feeling that her usual seat _wasn't _going to be vacant.

They all came in and sat down. Naruto sat by Hinata, of course. And just as she predicted, her seat was taken by none other than, Tenten. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to cease a bitter laugh.

Her expression remained dull while she spoke, "Itadakimasu." she said so quietly that it was almost inaudible. She took a bite of her lunch.

"Itadakimasu," all the others said in unison, then taking a bite of their own sandwich.

"It's good, Sakura! Thanks for letting me have lunch with you guys," Tenten spoke with a mouth full of food.

Sakura smiled slightly and nodded. "It's nothing."

For the rest of lunch, Sakura ate in silence and watched the others' conversations. She finished the small meal with ease, then rinsed off her plate. She wiped off her hands and then left to her room.

Tenten looked at Neji with a worried expression on her features, "Hey, do you think anything's wrong with Sakura? She didn't utter one word while we ate…" she mentioned.

Neji frowned slightly. "Not that I know of. Maybe she's thinking about Sasuke again."

Naruto and Hinata watched the exchange of words. Hinata looked at Naruto with a questioning expression, Naruto just smiled at her cunningly, as if telling her with his face.

* * *

Sakura slid down and brought her knees to her chest. _Shit, why am I so jealous? _She asked herself over and over. Tears of frustration slipped from her eyes, she made no action to wipe them away. _I need some fresh air…now. _She got up and now wiped the liquid on her face. She pulled out her favorite light green sundress and slipped it on. Then, she slipped on a pair of white strap heels, casual and cute at the same time. She got used to wearing heels when she started working at the hospital. She left out her hitai-ate, she was only going for a walk. Before she left her room, she grabbed a red jacket that had the Haruno symbol on the back, it was still chilly outside, then also getting her purse, too. She slid her door open and left the house without saying a word to the others, since they were all on the couch having a _jolly _time without her, her heels clicking loudly on the hard wood floor.

Naruto turned towards the noise and saw Sakura sliding the shoji doors open. "Saku-" but before he could even finish her name, she was gone.

"Something's definitely up." Tenten confirmed.

She got three nods in agreement.

"Do you think we should go see what's up?" Tenten asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I know my best friend, she probably needs some time to think out whatever's eating at her." he told them simply.

She just frowned slightly before bobbing her head.

--

Sorry this chapter isn't as long as the last one. I hope you enjoyed it, none the less. We're finally getting somewhere, huh? Curse that damn green monster that's haunting poor Sakura… And, in my last story, I made Sasuke die too. It's not like I hate the avenger… I don't know what my deal is. I kind of left you with a cliff-hanger. Sort of. Well, until next time!

Love,

NarutoFreakxD


	6. In Bloom

Amour de Pecheur chapter six: In Bloom

A/N: I'm going to try and stop these (A/N's) and at the bottom too, If I do say something, it's going to be saying sorry/thanks. Sorry about last chapter, I meant _sixth _Hokage, not seventh (for Naruto).

_Standard disclaimer applies._

--

_They're always there to remind you of what you've done, they're always sticking by you no matter if you like it or not, even though you wish they'd just leave you alone, they make you feel guilt and regret, even when you apologize for your mistakes, then they make you experience the pain all over again, and again. _

-Karly Chase (AKA Me) Scars

* * *

Sakura paced down the sidewalk, pushing and shoving people aside, not caring that it was rude and it wasn't lady-like. She needed somewhere to think, with no crowded areas, people, just peace and quiet. It felt like she was suffocating, there was a heavy weight on her chest. She ventured off into the forest, going to her favorite place, the place she had shown Neji. Nobody besides her and Neji knew where it was, she showed Naruto a long time ago, but she doubted that he remembered. She sighed out of relief, she was finally here. She laughed mirthlessly, the bench was still broken. She glanced over at the pond, colored leaves scattered atop it, the fresh water looked freezing. _Perfect. _She told herself. Then, she stripped of all her clothes, making goose bumps scatter across her soft pale skin. She shivered slightly before stepping inside of the bone-chilling water. Her pearly teeth chattered at first, but the water soon numbed her body. _Maybe I should've said something to them before I left…_

Sakura heard something rustle in the bush that was in front of the pond. Her brows furrowed, she crossed one arm over her bare chest, while the other reached for her kunai on her thigh, she always kept one there, better safe than sorry. She bit her lip anxiously.

"Who's there?" she spat out.

She saw a figure appear out of the shadows. Sakura squinted her eyes, it was Tenten. Sakura put her kunai away and let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding.

"Sakura!" she exclaimed loudly. "We're all worried about you! Naruto told me not to go look for you, but I didn't want you to get hurt or anything - not that I'm calling you weak either." Tenten laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head.

Sakura nodded. "How did you know where I would be?" she asked.

Tenten grinned at her, "Neji told me where you might've been." she walked to the edge of the chilly pond.

"Ah." she said faintly. "Would you like to join me?" she invited in between gritted teeth, trying not to chatter them.

Tenten nodded and beamed, "Sure, how cold is it?"

"Freezing, you get used to it though." Sakura told her simply.

"Okay." then, she undressed and slipped in the icy water. She hissed at first, but slowly got her whole body to sink in. "Brr… it is cold…"

Sakura blinked. _No, really? I sure didn't notice. _She said sarcastically in her head. She only wanted to stay in for a few minutes longer, she didn't want to risk getting hypothermia.

"How do you feel about Neji?" Sakura blurted out all of a sudden. _What are you thinking?! _She yelled inwardly, tearing her hair out.

Tenten's eyes widened for a second before putting a finger on her chin. "Um… I think of him just as a brother, really. It would be too weird if we went out…" she spoke honestly.

Sakura nodded curtly, trying her hardest not to smile. _…Wait. Why WOULD I smile? Oh Kami, please don't tell me… _

"When's Naruto going to finally take over the job as Hokage?" Tenten inquired.

Sakura smiled warmly, "As soon as Tsunade-sama gets all of her shit out of the office… which might take weeks." she giggled. "Speaking of Tsunade-sama, I need a mission, I'm tired of laying around here doing _nothing._" she finished with a mock pout.

Tenten chuckled a bit, then shivered. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to get out, my bones are starting to feel numb."

It's was Sakura's turn to chuckle, "Yeah, I agree." she remarked.

Both women slipped out of the chilling water, teeth chattering. Sakura picked up her dress and undergarments, slipping them on, as well with Tenten. The clothes got wet, but not soaked, thankfully.

Sakura bit her lip, "I think I'm going to go to the Hokage's office, to request a mission. Tell the others, alright?" she started to walk backwards slowly.

Tenten nodded and waved at her, "Okay, see you later." then, she started heading her own way.

Sakura started to make her way to the Hokage tower. The wind was starting to pick up, blowing in strong gusts, she pulled her jacket tighter around her petite form. She looked up at the sun, it looked like it was four of five o'clock. Night would start to fall in about two hours or so, she would make sure she got back before then. She blinked her apple green eyes once, only to find that she was in front of the Hokage tower. She shrugged and stepped inside, then walking up the many flights of stairs. She stopped in front of the wood door and knocked on it.

"Come in!" she heard on the other side.

Sakura pulled on the handle. "Tsunade-shishou?" she started quietly.

Tsunade looked up from the papers she was signing, "Oh, Sakura. What do you need?" she asked, setting down her pen.

She took a deep breath. "I want a mission, _really_ bad, I'm getting pretty bored around here, ya know." she explained, a soft smile crawling onto her pink lips.

Tsunade laughed a bit, "Well, you're in luck; I just got in a new mission today. Although, you might not be suited for it… I was going to send Ino." she clarified, her face becoming sobered.

Sakura raised a bubblegum eyebrow, "How come?"

The bustier woman bit her lip. "A shinobi, who was very foolish, stole something in Mist, I've heard he traveled across seas to the village of Clouds, taking what he stole with him. The Mist have requested us to get it back… lazy asses. But not just any shinobi, a kunoichi,"

Sakura shifted her weight on her other foot. "Okay, what did he steal, and why a kunoichi?" she asked, biting her nails.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Quit biting your nails, it's gross. Anyways, he stole a precious scroll. Secondly, they need a kunoichi because, he is a pervert. This is why I considered choosing Ino…"

"Continue." Sakura urged.

"They need the information about where he hid it, and they think it would be easiest if they got a woman to get it out of his mouth. So, basically, what I'm saying is: you need to seduce the man and get the information." she paused for a brief moment. "Are you a virgin Sakura?" the honey-eyed women finally asked, leaning back in her chair.

Sakura swallowed hardly. "…Yes. Even after all those years with Sasuke, we wanted to wait until we wanted kids. But, if it's for a mission, I wouldn't mind taking away my innocence with it, Tsunade-shishou. I've had classes during training…" she said boldly, verdant eyes filled with determination.

Tsunade smiled, "That's my student. Well, anyhow, I will pick out an escort for you. But, this is where your mission will start; there will be a masquerade party that he will be hosting. You and your escort are required to go there, you, however, will strike a conversation up with him. Eventually, leading up to the bedroom. Got that?" she commanded.

Sakura nodded tersely. "Hai, Tsunade-shishou. May I ask who my escort will be?"

"I will send Hyuuga Neji with you."

Sakura nodded once again, "Okay, thank you…"

Tsunade smirked, "You are dismissed. The mission will be tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. sharp, be prepared and don't be late! I have faith in you Sakura, this is a lot for you to give up."

She bit her lip and smiled. "Thank you, shishou." then, she was about to leave the room, but turned on her heel. "Are you almost done packing your stuff away?" she asked for Naruto's sake.

Tsunade chuckled throatily. "Yes, you can tell Naruto that. I should be done in about two days," then she made a shooing gesture with her manicured hand.

Sakura waved a bit then left the Hokage's tower, feeling satisfied that she got a mission, but also slightly nervous; this would be her first mission doing something like _this. _Would it be painful? She heard that your first time would be painful at first, but then get pleasurable after awhile. _Deep breaths, Sakura, deep breaths. _She instructed herself silently. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from groaning aloud, she would have to tell Neji _all about _the mission, which was absolutely mortifying. A strong gust of cool wind whipped by, causing Sakura to wrap the light jacket tighter around her. She never was a big fan of cold weather, fall was alright, but winter was just dreading. That's when you got all the colds, and flu's, making patients in the hospital come in more frequently. She thought about Neji again, thinking of ways of how she should tell him about the mission.

Speaking of the devil, he was walking up to her right now. _Crap! Stay perfectly calm Sakura… even though h-he's SHIRTLESS?! _Sakura could have gaped, a shirtless, and sweaty Neji was walking right up to her. She stopped in her tracks and put on a shaky smile, while also putting a hand up in greeting. Sakura felt her cheeks get warm.

Neji was right in front of her now. "Funny meeting you here,"

Sakura laughed nervously, "Um, yeah. I have something to tell you…" she bit her lip and avoided his silver gaze.

He crossed his arms over his bare torso. "Hm?"

Her teeth sank deeper into her lip, almost causing it to bleed. "We have a mission," she informed him. _Don't. Get. Distracted. _She chanted in her mind, though it wasn't really working.

His eyebrows shot up, "Really? What do we have to do?" he asked her.

Sakura's eyes switched from left to right. "Well-" she tried to start.

Shizune came running towards them yelling, "Sakura-san! Sakura-san! You forgot your mission scroll," she told her as soon as she caught up with them.

Sakura smiled. _Thank Kami. _"Thanks, Shizune."

The older woman nodded and smiled back before walking back to the Hokage tower.

Sakura turned around and looked at Neji again and held the scroll out in her hand. "Here, read this." she told him.

He took the scroll, accidentally brushing their fingers, she felt something twitch at the bottom of her stomach. He opened up the scroll and read it. Sakura messed with strands of her pink hair, combing them back and raking her hand through them.

She glanced at his face, he was scrunching up his nose like he smelt something foul in the air. "Seriously sucks to be you in this situation…" he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to her.

Sakura put a hand on her hip, then took the scroll with her other and scowled, "Thanks for the support," she replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.

He snorted. "I was actually on my way home, do you want to come with me?" he asked, changing the subject.

She nodded. "Yeah, plus we better get a good nights sleep; we have to be there at 5 a.m.," she informed him softly.

He nodded once in return and they started walking home. The sun was just now starting to set, it must've been around seven. She glanced at his shirtless form again, she pondered on a thought. _He must have been training to be all sweaty…_

"Aren't you cold? The temperature is dropping out here." she remarked.

He looked at her and grunted, "No, I've been training at home."

_Ah, so I was right. _"Oh." came her small reply, she averted her eyes to once again, look at the road in front of her, which was quite hard. _Damn Hyuuga, you just had to be shirtless in my state of distress! _She complained, flushing again.

She took a deep breath. "So, what's Hinata-chan making for dinner tonight? I would be happy to help her again."

"She's not cooking tonight, she's ordering bento boxes for us all." he answered her simply.

Sakura nodded, "I see." she pulled out the scroll again and began reading the mission details. "Ah, shit." she cursed.

Neji looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

"I have to buy a new dress. For the masquerade party, at least I'm not having money issues." she told him, tucking the scroll back in her jackets pocket.

He frowned a bit. "Why? You've got plenty of dresses, that I know of anyway. Does it have a dress code?"

Her eyebrows sunk a bit, "No, well, you see," she hesitated and flushed. "… the dress has to be revealing. You know, short, low neckline, dresses I would like to label as sluttish." she finished, looking down at the ground, trying to hide her blush.

"…"

Sakura clasped her hands behind her back. "I'll go buy it, I can't waste any time since it's tomorrow."

"I'll come with, I've got nothing better to do anyways,"

Sakura looked up at him and shook her head, "N-no Neji, you don't have to… your _shirtless _for Kami's sake!" she protested. "Someone will get the wrong idea…" she added almost too quietly.

Neji smirked. "I don't care that I'm half-naked. And what if someone gets the wrong idea? It's not like it's a bad thing." he sent her a sly smile.

She gasped quietly and blushed, for the _fourth _time this hour. "Right," she paused. "I don't think I want to buy a dress, but a kimono. What do you think?" she asked him.

"Hn, you don't already have some?"

Sakura mentally sighed. "Of course I have kimonos, just not any _suitable _for this mission. And, you shouldn't answer a question with a question." she added lastly with an amused smile.

"Well, you shouldn't really ask a guys opinion, you should ask a girls opinion, like Ino or Hinata." he remarked.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Well, since you're the only one with me right now, I don't really have a choice." she saw a formal clothing store that they were getting ready to pass, Sakura stopped. "Wait, stop! Let's look inside here." she stopped Neji by putting an arm in front of him.

They stepped inside, people passed them weird looks, well, mostly Neji. Sakura looked around, trying to find the kimonos.

Suddenly, a worker was about to pass them. "Ma'am?" Sakura called out to her.

The woman turned around and smiled broadly, "Yes? How can I help you?" she asked politely.

Sakura returned the smile. "Can you please tell me where the kimonos are?"

The woman nodded. "Yes! They are over there," she pointed with her left hand near the back.

Sakura glanced over there before turning towards the worker again. She grinned, "Thanks so much!" with that the employee left with a high pitched 'uh-huh'.

"C'mon, Neji!" Sakura exclaimed, while grabbing his hand and skipping towards the kimonos.

When Neji didn't say anything, she glanced back at his face and saw that he was blushing brightly. She mentally gasped, her head snapped back in front of her. _Neji… blushing? _Those two words didn't seem to fit together in a sentence. She would have been laughing her ass off, but there was something inside her that wanted to _squeal_.

Sakura let go of his hand, they reached the kimono department. If she bought a kimono, it would have to be short. _Short. _Did they even make short kimonos? She's seen them before, but very rarely. If she could find a short one, she might have to _cut it_, for Kami's sake! But then, something caught her eye. She turned around and saw a cyan blue colored kimono - it was short, if she tried it on, it would reach mid-thigh. The design had a dark grey dragon right under the bust area, the obi was black, and so were the ends of the sleeves. In the back, another piece of clothing extended so it would reach right past your feet, also cyan colored. Sakura's eyes sparkled.

She tugged on Neji's arm. "Hm?" he questioned her.

She bit her lip and smiled, "Look, look!" she pointed to the kimono. "It's perfect for the mission! Plus I like it," she finished quickly with a playful smile. She dragged him over to where it was.

Neji's pearl eyes went wide. "Y-you are actually going to wear _that_…?!"

Sakura nodded and frowned. "Well, I kind of have no choice, it's like I just said; perfect for the mission." she paused. "I'm going to go try it on!" she cried happily, grabbing the kimono and heading to the dressing rooms.

Neji blindly followed her path and sat down on one of the benches outside of the dressing rooms. He waited patiently and ignored all the lustful stares he got from women. He waited another ten minutes before she finally came out. He looked up from his lap and what he saw took his breath away, literally. The vibrant colored kimono fit her flawlessly in all the right places.

Sakura smiled, "How do I look?" she asked him softly.

His mouth hung open, "I… uh… words can't describe how good you look." he told her honestly.

Sakura's gaze shifted to her feet. "Arigatou. I-I'll go back and change now…" she turned on her heel and entered the changing room.

Once she got in there, she scowled a bit. _What the fuck is this man doing to me? I've never stuttered around people I know! Unless I'm nervous, but why would I possibly be nervous around Neji? _Sakura tried not to think about it, but it kept on telling her in the back of her head. She quickly changed out of the kimono and changed into her other dress. She checked the price.

"Good, I have just enough to by it." she muttered to herself.

She grabbed the door handle and walked out, the kimono in her hands. She greeted Neji with a small smile and a quiet 'lets go'. He nodded, so they started to walk to the checking counter.

They reached the counter and the young woman smiled at them. Sakura smiled lopsidedly and put the kimono on the hard surface. The employee told her the price, Sakura paid what was due, afterwards, they both left with ease. Task one complete: get proper attire. Another thing popped up in her mind: who would do her hair? Definitely _not _Neji, so, she would have to do it herself, which would be a problem. The only things she ever did to her hair was either leave it down, put it up in a _sloppy _bun, or put it in a high pony-tail. Perhaps Hinata could teach her how to do some tasteful and sexy hairstyles tonight, hell, she would probably have to, or else she would have to leave her coral locks down at the masquerade party. She mentally banged her head on a wall. _I can do it, it just takes a bit of effort. _She encouraged herself.

The walk home was mostly silent, they exchanged a few words with each other. When they arrived in front of the home, Sakura could smell the fresh bento boxes from outside. She smiled and let out a pleasant sigh. _Home sweet home. _She held back the urge to lick her parched lips. When they walked inside, Naruto and Hinata were nowhere in sight, they were probably eating in the kitchen.

Sakura closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. She was right, Naruto and Hinata _were _in there, enjoying their bento boxes.

Naruto looked up and beamed brightly at the two. "Hey!" he greeted happily, then he looked down at the bag in Sakura's hand. "What's that, Sakura-chan?" he asked her.

Sakura bit her lip. "Oh, I'll tell you the whole story after dinner," she took her seat, and Neji sat next to her.

Hinata got up and grabbed two boxes of food and set one in front of Neji, and one in front of Sakura. Sakura mumbled a modest 'thank you'. When Neji didn't say anything, she nudged his elbow and glared at him. He rolled his eyes playfully and said a quiet 'thanks', she smiled at him and went back to start eating her food. Hinata smiled slyly to herself, _they look so cute together… _She thought, referring to Neji and Sakura.

Sakura paused at eating her meal, got up, and walked to the cupboards. "Just getting a glass of water." she told them, getting a glass, then moving to the sink to fill it with tap water. She took a drink instantly, feeling relief as it went over her dry lips and tongue.

She moved off of the counter and back to her seat at the dining table. Looking down at her food, she noticed she only had but a fourth of it left to eat. She mentally scowled at herself for eating too fast. _Am I trying to get fat? _She asked herself, before picking up her chopsticks again.

She paused before eating her food. "Oh yeah, Naruto. Tsunade said she's almost done packing her stuff, two days, she had told me." Sakura smirked as she saw him perk up to the news.

Naruto's eyes sparkled, "Yes! Finally, she sure takes her time… old woman," he commented quietly on the last part.

Sakura glanced at Naruto with hardened eyes, warning him that she had heard him. Her thoughts reverted to the mission again. _It's going to take at least three or four days to get to Cloud. Maybe I can go out and buy a book really quick… to refresh that certain subject. _But would she have enough time? The book store closed at 10 p.m.. She glanced at the clock, 7:42. She smirked, she had time to get the book, _and _have Hinata teach her some useful hairstyles.

Finishing the last bite of her delicious food, she got out of her seat again, then threw her bento box away in the trash. Flickering her eyes to Neji for a second, she shook her head and smiled. "You should really put a shirt on, Neji." she stated, an amused tone in her voice.

He grunted and nodded, moving out of his seat, also throwing his bento box away, then moving back to his room to slip a shirt on.

Sakura sat back down in her seat, across from Naruto and Hinata. "Um, I think I'll tell you guys about my mission, or show you." she pulled out the scroll and handed it to them, a slight shade of pink covering her cheeks.

Hinata took the scroll and unrolled it, her and Naruto's heads leaned in so they could both read it. Naruto mumbled something that sounded like 'gross', and Hinata's face turned beet red. Sakura laughed nervously and took the scroll, placing it back in her jacket pocket.

"Hey, I needed a mission, and this was the only one they had… and Ino isn't here…" she mumbled lastly, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

Naruto snickered, "Ah, plus Hinata couldn't go because she's pregnant, so that explains why you were the only one left."

A vain popped up in Sakura's forehead, "Do you think I don't have potential for it?!" she brought her fist into her other hand.

Neji walked in the room and sat down next to Sakura, giving Hinata an inquiring expression.

Naruto's eyes shifted around the room. "O-of course not! But you still are a virgin in all, even with two years with Sasuke-teme…"

"_Naruto, you're dead!" _Sakura bent over the table, fist aiming for Naruto's skull.

"Ow! Sakura-chan that hurts - ow!"

Neji and Hinata watched, silently laughing.

* * *

Sakura walked down the streets, her destination at the Konoha book store._ Gods, this is going to be so embarrassing to buy. It's a fucking book on how to seduce a man! _She put her hands up to her face and rubbed her stressed temples. Turning around the corner, she entered the store. Browsing over the isles, she found the 'adult material', and headed over there.

Her eyes looked over the spines of books, looking for something that would be like 'the art of seduction'. Would they even _sell _books like those? She would have no idea, she only went in the library or book store if she was looking for some books on jutsu, she never shopped for books other than those. Not even paying attention to the world around her, she bumped into somebody.

Sakura's head whipped around, only to be met with a green jounin vest. She looked up, seeing a navy blue mask and a head full of silver hair. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi chuckled, "I never thought I'd see you in the book store, especially in this section." he remarked.

Sakura flushed and crossed her arms under her chest. "Hey, it's for a mission, alright?" she defended.

He smirked. "Really? What do you have to do?" he asked her, leaning back on the book shelf.

She dropped her hands to her sides and groaned, not wanting to take out the scroll again. So, she put up a hand and waved it, gesturing for him to come closer, which he complied to. "I have to seduce information out of a man, he stole something precious from Mist." she whispered in his ear, her blush getting profounder.

He backed away and rose his eyebrows. "This your first mission like this?" he inquired her.

"Yeah." she admitted. "I'm a little nervous, to be honest."

He grunted. "I've got some advice, men love it when you fondle them,"

Sakura screeched.

Kakashi shrugged, "It's true…"

She just nodded shortly and fast, a cue to end that certain topic. Swallowing, she sighed. "You wouldn't happen to know if they had any books about seduction and such? I mean you have been here _many _times, in this particular isle." she mentioned.

His smirk got wider under his mask, "Yeah, you just have to look around a bit more, you're close."

"Thanks. Well, I'll be seeing you, Kakashi-sensei. I've really got to hurry, my mission is tomorrow." Sakura smiled feebly.

Kakashi's eyes creased. "No sweat. Good luck on your mission, Sakura-_chan_." and with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Dirty old pervert…" she muttered under her breath, then went back to looking at the spines of books.

Running her forefinger over them, it stopped dead on one book. 'Seduction Basics' was what it was called. _What a plain title. It'll do, _she decided. Bracing herself to act calm and cool, she bought the book, no words said, and left the store as swiftly as she could.

She let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. She had checked the clock before she left, it was 8:21. Time seemed to be going by slow for her today, but that was sort of a good thing in her situation.

She didn't run into anymore people on her way home, thankfully. As soon as she got home, she asked Hinata about her small hair issue. Hinata said she'd be glad to help, since she had longer hair than Sakura, she got to do more stuff with it. She also mentioned that Sakura's hair length was just right for putting it up in a elegant up-do. Hinata had shown her in the mirror, and Sakura fell in love with it. It wasn't too simple, but it was simple enough for one person to do it without help. You just needed some pins and plain barrettes.

Sakura smiled at the lavender-eyed woman next to her. "I couldn't thank you enough, Hinata-chan."

Hinata returned the smile, "It's nothing, Sakura-chan. You better get some rest for the mission,"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Goodnight, Hinata-chan." she moved off of Hinata's bed and headed for the doors.

"Goodnight."

Sakura slid the doors shut quietly behind her. When she turned around, she bumped into yet _another _masculine chest. _Damn it, what's with me bumping into people?! _She exclaimed inside her head. Slowly, she looked up.

Immediately, blood rose up to her cheeks. "Sorry Neji, I'm being a little clumsy today," she laughed half-heartedly.

"It's fine. I was actually looking for you." he commented.

Sakura was trapped between the wall, and Neji's chest, she felt, not the least, very uncomfortable. "You were?" she asked, trying to sound curious.

He simply nodded his head. "I wanted to talk to you about the mission."

Her mouth twisted downwards. "…Oh. Okay." he finally back off, moving inside of his own room, expecting her to follow.

She trotted off after him, also sliding his door shut after she got inside. "So, what did you want to discuss about the mission?"

Neji's face remained calm and serious. "How are your skills at acting sensual?" he asked her bluntly.

Sakura almost choked on the air, due to the dullness of his voice, compared to the question. "Well… um… I've never tried to act sexy before, because I never really needed to. I know how to flirt in all, but to be down right _sexy_, I have no experience." she frankly advised him.

Neji's eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit. "Well, it is required for the mission, you know."

Sakura bit her lip. "I know that very well, that is why I bought this book…" she pulled out the book from her pocket.

Neji moved to his futon, patting his side next to him, she gladly sat next to him. He bent his head to look at the book. "I'll read some things over, but there's one thing I need _you _to do for me…"

His eyebrows shot up again. "And that would be?"

"Do you, um, mind if I try out the things… on you?" she asked hesitantly.

His silver eyes widened, but he recovered. "I… sure."

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. "Thanks." she flipped the book open. "Don't worry, I won't kiss or make you get naked, or anything like that." she added playfully.

Neji blushed, the color of his cheeks matching her hair.

Her eyes glanced up from the book, surprised to see that she made Hyuuga Neji blush. She returned to looking at the book, then looking back at Neji. "Unless, of course, you _want _to…" she offered sultrily.

Neji's eyes widened even more, and his face could be a good cherry right now. "Cool it, I was trying something out from the book. It said make your voice sound silky, and speak slowly." her green orbs scanned over the pages. "But that doesn't mean I don't have to do anything physical, I might have to do something that's going to be quite uncomfortable for both of us," _which I wouldn't mind… _she finished in her mind.

She caught herself, and scowled. _What am I saying?! It's not like I want to…? Well, I, gods, this is so troublesome. _She sounded like Shikamaru now. This man was doing something to her. He had to have put some genjutsu on her, or something! This was not how she thinks about her _friends_. Friends, do not usually blush around each other, friends do not _flirt _with one another, and they most certainly don't enjoy having to do semi-sexual stuff to them, for gods sake! This was definitely _not _normal Sakura behavior.

What she didn't know however, was she was denying the feelings that were slowly blooming for Neji.

* * *

Kimono idea- There's probably not a kimono like that out there, it's the design of my _costume_.


	7. Slowly Bursting

Amour de Pecheur chapter seven: Slowly bursting

_Standard disclaimer applies._

**Warning: **This chapter _is not _for kiddies, so skip it while you can, or your eyes will be permanently scarred. This isn't rated M for nothing.

_--_

_Love is not flawless,_

_Nothing is._

_You can expect that._

_I'm just merely warning you._

_So get your armor,_

_And get your sword,_

_Prepare to take many hits_

_To the heart._

-Unknown "Battlefield"

--

"I wasn't too bad was I?" Sakura asked him, biting her lip.

Neji chuckled a bit. "I've seen much worse, actually, you seem like a natural. But I don't know much about flirting… or seducing. What I'm trying to say is, if this guy is perverse, you'll definitely be able to… yeah." he finished awkwardly.

She sighed in relief, "Thanks. I better be getting to bed, you too. It's almost ten and we have to get up early." she got off of his futon and headed towards the door, and paused straight in her tracks. "Fuck." she cursed loudly.

Neji's brows dipped a bit. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

She turned around to face him again. "We are going to a _masquerade _party, therefore, I'm going to need a damn mask. I totally forgot to look for that today!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, well, we can always get them when we're on our way there, I mean Cloud is three days away from Mist, and it's going to take us _another _three days to get to Mist." he told her promisingly, his lavender eyes softening.

Sakura smiled largely. "Good idea! Thanks." she resumed her tracks to the door. "Goodnight, Neji." she added softly.

"Night." he replied quietly.

With that, Sakura shut the door and walked a few steps to her room. Stretching her lithe limbs, she got out of her clothes and pulled out a baggy t-shirt. Flicking the light off, she walked to her soft futon and crawled onto it's surface. She set her alarm to 4:00 a.m., just in case she wouldn't wake up late. Closing her eyes and counting to five, she fell asleep easily, due to the stressful events of the day.

* * *

Inhale.

Exhale.

_Breathe._

She opened her sea-foam eyes, dried mascara streaks crusted on her delicate cheeks. Dry lips ever so slightly parted, red lipstick smeared violently under her lips, onto her chin. Down on her knees, begging, pleading. Pink hair frizzled and frazzled. Burnt. Broken. Nobody likes useless, ugly dolls, they want pretty ones, with long hair, perfect smiles, and flawless makeup. Not ones that have been dropped on the floor, that have been _shattered._

Forgotten.

Unloved.

Loathed.

All the poor thing wants is a friend. Someone to understand her.

Bare and battered feet walked on the edge of the cliff. Tears blurred her crystal vision. She sufficed one last smile. Drop. There she goes. People ignore her suicide, in fact, they all laugh. So young, the girl was.

Falling.

Subsiding.

Suffocating.

Choking.

Closer, closer, the icy waves of the ocean come. Closer, closer, she is coming to deaths door.

Thrilling.

Exciting.

Almost there…

_Smack._

* * *

"Sakura! Sakura! Wake up…" Neji's harsh whispers filled her ears. He was gently shaking her awake.

Sakura opened her sleep laden eyes slowly. She saw somebody on the side of her futon. "Neji? Is it time to get up?" she murmured almost inaudibly.

He shook his head. "No. You were screaming," he told her, traces of worry in his deep voice.

Sakura's eyes widened. "…That dream. Or, I should say, nightmare." she paused, remembering bits and pieces of it. "I… committed suicide. Did I wake Naruto and Hinata?" she asked him, then pausing to say one more thing. "Sorry I woke _you _up…"

He shook his head. "It's fine, I'm a very light sleeper, compared to Hinata and Naruto. Also, you didn't wake them up."

Sakura just mumbled a small 'good'. She glanced at her clock, it was 11:04. Hopefully she'd be able to fall back asleep. In her dream, that was _nothing _like her, in fact, probably the exact opposite. She's _never _thought about killing herself before. Sure, she's been sad, but not to that point. What she didn't understand however was, why was she having those types of dreams? Maybe the nervousness of the mission. But still, that'd be a bit _much_.

Neji's voice broke her of her thoughts, "Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Yeah… but," she paused and stared at her hands. "do you think you can… stay in here with me? Please? It'll make me feel safer…" she started to trail off, avoiding his silver gaze.

Neji smiled in amusement and pushed stray hair away from her eyes. "As long as it'll make you feel better, sure."

Sakura finally looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Thank you. You're such a great friend." _friend _she repeated in her mind. A flash of feelings flooded over her, but she pushed those aside for now. She scooted over in her futon, making room for him. Her hand patted the spot next to her, silently inviting him.

Neji moved on the futon beside her, pulling the covers that she left for him over his body. "You sure about this? I can sleep on the floor or-"

Sakura interrupted him. "No, no. Its fine, I don't care at all. Is it okay with _you_?"

A few moments passed by before he finally answered, "Yeah."

Sakura smiled and let the darkness take over, and this time, she had no more bad dreams.

* * *

The blaring of the alarm woke up the two, it took Sakura a few moments to register what was going on around her. The first thing she noticed was the warmness around her. Looking down, she saw a large arm wrapped securely around her waist. She smiled softly and turned her head around a bit. She was surprised at herself, she didn't feel awkward or anything, she felt… warm and fuzzy inside.

She smiled softly and turned her head slightly around, to see his face. "Morning." she whispered.

The corners of Neji's mouth lifted ever so slightly. "Morning." he mumbled back.

Sakura leisurely got out of his grip, then turning off the earsplitting beeping of the alarm clock. After that, her an Neji both got up off the futon. She blinked a couple of times, clearing her blurry vision. She felt a chilly gust of wind pass her. _Wait, wind? _She looked over at her window, and just now realized she had accidentally left it opened a bit. It made her hairs stand up. Now, looking at her attire, she was just in a black t-shirt, and panties. She was practically _half naked _in front of Neji! Blushing, she went to her drawers and quickly pulled out a pair of black shorts.

"Any more nightmares?" he asked her quietly, walking over to her.

She looked up and smiled. "Nope. Again, I want to say thank you." she finished, turning around, she pulled him into a tight hug. She finally told herself silently to admit it, the feelings she had for Neji. _It's useless to try and deny them, they're already there, and I don't think they're going to go away for a very long time…_

Neji returned the embrace softly, wrapping both of his arms around her lithe waist. He set his head on top of hers and nodded as his response. They both stayed like that for a few more moments, until Sakura broke apart.

"Well, we'd better get our stuff packed and have some breakfast. Sound good?" she asked him.

His expression remained stoic and he nodded. After that, he left her room and went next door, to his room. While he was doing that, Sakura was getting out her pack. In her drawers, she pulled out her normal outfit she took to go on missions with, her beige skirt, red top with the Haruno emblem on the back, and lastly her black boots that went right below her knees. Changing out of her pajamas, she slipped into that, but before she was about to pick more clothes to put in her pack, she turned around on her heel. She almost forgot to put her Jounin vest on. _Silly me. _She mused, chuckling at her own actions. Making her way back to her drawers, she bent down to the very last one, where the kimono she would be needing was. Touching its silky material, she sighed.

"I wonder if I'll ever wear this again after this mission… maybe I should give it to Ino when I'm through with it." she whispered to herself. Shaking her head, she put the short kimono in her pack, then went back to her drawers, once again.

She pulled out clothes that would be good to travel in, and some that would be comfy and casual, even a few more pairs of shoes. She walked to her vanity and pulled out her make-up bag, also putting that in her pack. Getting ready to close the small drawer, she took a double-take inside of it. She chuckled at what she saw. It was the romance novel she bought some weeks ago, in case of boredom.

"I guess I could take this too… in case I don't want to read that _other _book." she told herself, picking up the book. Putting something in her pack this time was a bit of trouble, it was practically full.

She looked around at the plain room. There was something missing to it… well, it had no closet, maybe that was it. No. Then it hit her, "Color! That's all it needs. I'll need to go buy some paint after the mission and-"

"You really should stop talking to yourself, anyone could be listening," Sakura swiftly turned around, she saw Neji leaning on her doorway, looking at her with a small smirk. "And, you might say something you wanted to keep only to yourself." he continued, finally stepping into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sakura gasped softly, "_Well_, people shouldn't eavesdrop. It's not polite." she huffed mockingly, plastering a small scowl on her face.

He snorted. "But, that's what triggers them to eavesdrop in the first place." he pointed out.

Sakura's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. You win, _again_. As always," she muttered the last part under her breath.

Neji just smirked smugly, his expression turning impassive after a moment. "Anyways, I'm ready if you are,"

Sakura nodded and zipped up her pack, then slipping it on her back without effort. She saw Neji was ready as well. Out of curiosity, she asked, "You have a suit in there, right?" her small hand pointed to his pack.

"Of course."

Sakura nodded once. "Okay." she paused for a second and think of how she was going to say this. "Well, we'll have to be extra careful traveling through Cloud. What I mean is, we've been in war with them a long time ago, and… the situation they had with your clan." her lips twisted into a small frown.

Neji just nodded somberly before saying, "Let's head out."

She remained silent as they both left the room. She left a note on the refrigerator for Hinata and Naruto saying:

_Naruto and Hinata,_

_As you both probably realize, Neji and I are off on our mission by now. All I wanted to say was: Hinata, you have to teach me more of those wonderful hairstyles when I get home! I'll probably need them later in life, ha-ha._

_Well, anyways, don't do anything too naughty while we're not home!_

_-Sakura_

After she put that up, they left the house quietly and headed for the gates.

* * *

They mostly traveled in silence, maybe exchanging a few words to each other. Although, Neji could feel the nervousness from Sakura in her chakra. Mission, maybe? Personal issues? He wasn't going to ask, because it wasn't really any of his business, he still kept a close eye on he, though. Sometimes, his eyes traveled where they shouldn't be, one side of his conscious kept telling himself to stop, yet the other side told him he was just a man, and that it was okay. But it _was not _okay to ogle ones that have no relationship between them besides friendship, or acquaintanceship. His eyes kept traveling, no matter what either sides of his mind was saying. _Dammit, Neji! You love Tenten… right? _Was the question he asked himself right now. But his chances with Tenten were practically blown by now, he heard rumors that she was dating Lee. But, he didn't blame her. Over the years, Lee had finally found out that tweezers were _very _useful and started plucking a great amount of his eyebrows every day. He'd said to him once that it took some time, yes, but it was worth it. He also doesn't have that unattractive bowl-cut hairstyle, it's a tad bit longer, going past his ears. He'd also got over his childish crush for Sakura years ago, thankfully.

Neji shook his head, maybe he should just give up. But how can someone give up on love? It almost seemed impossible. Almost. Tenten was really the only woman - practically the only person - he opened up to. But… now Sakura, too. He would admit that she was very precious to him now, ever since they started spending a lot of time together; on walks, at the house, going to the grocery store, etc. After spending all that time with her, she had made an impact on him, for example, she made him feel like he didn't have to hide all of his emotions anymore. Also, he wasn't training 24/7, he still got his good fix of training, but it wasn't his whole _life_. And, he liked his new changes, to be perfectly honest.

Neji felt a flat palm on his chest. "Neji? It's dark out… I think we should set camp here," he turned his head to face her.

Glancing at the sky really quick, he saw it _was _dark out. "Wow. I must've lost track of time." he paused to look at her face again. "Yeah, let's set camp." he slipped his pack off of his shoulders, taking out his sleeping bag.

Sakura smiled softly and took her hand off his chest. "Yeah, you did seem kind of distant when we were traveling." she giggled a bit, covering her mouth with one hand. Then she also shrugged off her pack and brought out her own sleeping bag.

They both rolled out their sleeping bags, but not getting in them right yet. They still needed to catch dinner. Which was probably going to be some kind of fish, because there was a river near by.

They had talked about who should stay and watch their camp, while the other one would go and catch dinner. They had ended up deciding that Sakura would go get the dinner, even though Neji didn't particularly like the idea. While Sakura went off to get the food, he gathered the nearest small logs of wood and started the fire. Now, he would have more time to think. He pondered on the question he asked himself earlier: _Do I really love Tenten? _He had loved her years ago, now, his strong feelings for her were… fading. He still loved her very much as a friend and teammate, of course. It was like ever since he really got to know Sakura, he didn't think about Tenten as much. Could it possibly be that he was starting to… love Sakura?

* * *

Sakura ended up gathering four fish; two for her and two for Neji. Her stomach just growled, she was _very _hungry, after all, she didn't have anything to eat today. But, that was her own fault for skipping meals. She should've known better, she was a medic, for Kami's sake! Shaking her head in shame, she made her way back to the camp sight.

She found Neji leaning on a tree, from what it looked like, he was out staring at nothing, like he was in deep thought. Glancing at the other surroundings, it looked like he had started the fire. _I wonder what he's thinking about. _She mused herself.

"Foods here!" she voiced in a sing-song manner, chuckling when she made him jump slightly. "Thanks for starting the fire, Neji." she walked over near the fire and placed the fish over it, then sat down cross-legged near close to its warmth.

He snorted in response and moved to sit next to her.

Sakura could feel the proximity of Neji - their thighs were touching - and she didn't really care. If Neji minded, he wasn't showing it either, he was remaining poker-faced and calm. As usual. Although, he did open up to her the tiniest bit, which she was very thankful for. She smiled broadly mentally, but on the outside she just settled for a small smile.

They waited another five minutes in silence before finally taking the fish off of the fire. The fish had turned out to be a tad bit burnt, but no one was complaining. Sakura had eventually brought out two water bottles out of her pack. Dinner was also ate in silence, a comfortable one.

As it got later, the temperature had dropped, so it would be around 32°. _Good thing I brought my cloak, I'm already shivering. _Sakura got up from her spot on the ground and walked over to her backpack, pulling out her cloak.

"I think I'm ready for bed." she stated simply, yawning and walking over to her sleeping bag.

Neji nodded. "Yes, we need to be prepared for traveling tomorrow." he answered blankly, copying Sakura's actions by moving to his own sleeping bag.

Sakura kneeled down and crawled into her sleeping bag, while furrowing her eyebrows. _Neji's acting sort of strange tonight… is it something I said? Or haven't said? _"Are you okay, Neji?" she asked him, her voice filled with concern.

He glanced at her really quickly, then looking back up at the sky. "…Everything's fine, Sakura." although his voice didn't really assure it.

She frowned. "Alright. Night." but she didn't close her eyes yet.

"Goodnight." he merely replied.

Sakura waited for his breath to become steady and soft, indicating that he was asleep. When it did, she crawled out of her sleeping bag very quietly, making sure not to wake him. Her light footsteps patted on the soft dirt; she was going to take a small walk, to clear her thoughts.

She took the path that led to the small river. Once she got there, she jumped on a tree branch and sat down with her legs stretched out in a relaxed position. She let her head fall back on the hard bark of the tree, then let out a loud sigh. Placing two fingers on each temple, she started to rub them, easing her small headache. Her mind wondered back to what she had been asking herself earlier: what was up with Neji tonight? It had seemed like he was basically saying 'leave me the hell alone, or I will rip your head off'. Her coral eyebrows moved downward in result of confusion.

"Did I do something to piss him off, or something? I mean… we barely talked. He's my friend, and he shouldn't be hiding stuff from me, damn it!" she whispered to herself austerely, her hands going to her sides now, fists clenching.

Her face changed into a small pout. _Is it about Tenten…? _A strong gust of wind almost knocked her off balance, resulting her to wrapping her cloak tighter around her small figure.

"I guess I should admit that I'm… jealous of her," she muttered to herself. "B-but Neji's practically wasting his love on her, she told me herself that she thinks of him as a _brother_." she said to no once.

Sighing again, she hopped off the tree and headed towards the camp sight to gets some well needed sleep.

* * *

The next five days seemed to have come and gone in a short second. They had picked up her masquerade mask when they were in Mist. It was a simple black one with turquoise lacing, it hade a velvety material. Plain, but it was the only one that matched her kimono.

Now, Neji was tugging at her arm, urging her to walk in the ball, but her feet stayed planted to the ground. "I'm nervous…" she murmured quietly, her teeth sinking into her fat bottom lip. The taste of thick coppery liquid filled her mouth.

Neji turned to where he was facing her, then put a hand on her chin, firmly yet gently pulling it up to look at him. He had a sympathetic smile on his attractive features. "I'm not going to say everything's going to be okay, because in your eyes, it isn't. One thing I do know is, you're going to do a great job. As a woman, and as a kunoichi." he placed his hand on her cheek in an comforting gesture. "I wish you the best of luck they can offer."

Sakura was touched by his simple words. "…Thank you. Now, let's go and get this over with." he nodded and moved back at her side, looping her arm with his, then stepped inside the large double doors.

Her eyes widened to see the huge amount of people here. It was almost jam-packed with people dancing, talking, and people at the bar at the end of the room. Her eyes scanned around the room, looking for the host, aka their - her target. Her breath hitched as she saw him, but then her face softened. He wasn't _that _bad looking, actually pretty good, he had bluish-black hair that was sleek and went down to his shoulders, a boyish face with bright amber eyes and thin lips. Just as the scroll described. _Thank Kami he isn't fat like most perverts… _Inwardly, she wiped her head in relief. She nudged Neji's side softly. He looked at her.

"What is it?" his smooth voice asked.

Not taking her eyes off her goal, she replied, "Him, the one with black hair, bright brown eyes." she pointed to him, making sure nobody could see her pointing, though.

Neji looked over to where she was pointing to, then saw him. "Ah, well then, I'll let you do your part of the job." he unlinked their arms and gave her one long look before she went off.

Her high heels tapped on the hard ground as she went towards the host. Taking a few deep breathes, she swayed her hips a bit more, then found she was right behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder with a long slender finger.

He turned around with a small smile. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" he spoke suavely, taking a sip of what looked like, red wine.

Sakura grinned a little, "Oh, nothing really," she spoke slowly. "I just wanted to get to know you… if that's alright with you?" she looked up at him and tucked a small strand of pink hair behind her ear.

His smile got wider. "Of course. Are you here with anyone?" he asked, leaning a bit closer to her.

_Your doing good, now keep it up! _She praised herself. "Uh, just my escort, that's all…" she looked up at him, he was at least a head taller than her. "So, what's your name? Mine's Haruno Sakura."

He grabbed her hand lightly and placed a small kiss on it's soft surface, which she blushed at. "Michi Katsuo, it's very nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

Sakura giggled a bit, "It's nice to meet you too, Katsuo-san." _Okay, okay, now its time to take another step… _She put a dainty hand on his covered chest, making it look like she was examining his suit. She moved a step closer to where he could feel her warm breath on his earlobe. "What a handsome suit, I like it." she purred.

She felt an arm twine around her slim waist and pulling her against his masculine chest, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him set down the glass of wine on the table next to them. "Why thank you." he whispered, a low chuckle emitting out of his throat. "You look absolutely marvelous,"

Softly, her teeth nipped his earlobe, then swirled her damp tongue around it. "Do you… want to take this somewhere else?"

"It would be my pleasure," his hand ran up and down her back. "There's a small room in the back that stores wine." he pulled her off of his chest and they made their way to the back.

On the way there, Sakura spotted Neji and gave him a wink, as in to say 'mission almost accomplished', he just nodded his head, then turned his head again. Katsuo had his arm wrapped securely around her waist as he led her to the small wine room. Sakura felt the nervousness creep up on her as she heard the music get quieter, and the lights getting dimmer. _What if I chicken out? What if it hurts so much that I cry? What if he realizes that I'm tricking him? What if -__ One thing I do know is, that you're going to do a great job. _Neji's voice rang through her ears, it made her feel a little bit better.

What snapped her back into the real world was the sound of a door opening. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, making crescent shaped markings in her skin. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she closed the door behind them. It was pitch black in the room, so she could barely see anything, there was a tad bit of room to move in, not crammed like she had imagined. Suddenly, she felt herself bump into a wall, and a pair of warm lips on her pulse point, making her shudder in pleasure. Her hands moved up to his shoulders, putting slight pressure there. Once he got finished devouring her neck, she felt his puffs of breath on her lips. Slowly, she placed her lips onto his moist ones. She angled her head to the side so their noses wouldn't bump.

His tongue slid across her bottom lip, kindly asking for entrance, which she gladly let him have by parting them. _This is going way too slow, I want to get it over with very quickly! _Her hands reached for the hem of his shirt, her fingers crawling under it, moving over his toned stomach, then pulling it off him. He caught up to her pace and untied her black obi, letting the kimono fall around to her ankles, she was only clad in a black thong, that she usually never wore, but thought it'd be appropriate for the mission. He made a low growl in approval, then bringing both hands up to cup them. He squeezed lightly, running one thumb over her pert nipple, making her gasp and arch into him. He bent his head down slightly and latched his mouth around her breast, grazing his teeth and sucking, earning a ragged moan from her.

_Thank god he's not being rough. _She wiped her forehead inwardly. She whimpered slightly when one of his hands came off of her breasts and started moving downward… she knew what was coming next. His fingers teased around her, finally moving down to her silky thong, messing with the edges of its lacy material, then carelessly removing it from her body. She was completely stark-naked in front of him now, which what she was thinking, wasn't very fair, he still had his pants and boxers on. Her hands moved from his broad shoulders down to his pants, her fingers fumbling with the stubborn button. After a few moments, the button came free, she anxiously pulled down his pants, he helped by stepping out of him. Her own fingers danced around the waistband of his boxers, then slowly pulling them down inch by inch, until they reached his feet._ Deep breaths… its almost time. _Her hands went up to stoke his aroused length, making him hiss slightly and buck into her hand slightly. He grabbed her hand and whisked it away from his manhood, then pinning both of her wrists above her head.

He crushed his lips down on hers, she gasped softly when she felt his tip brush against her pink curls. He took that opportunity to slide his tongue past her soft lips. "Go softly, please…" she murmured throughout the kiss.

He nodded and entered inside of her slowly, the kiss helped distract her from the pain, but it still hurt badly. After a few more unhurried thrusts, the pain started to subside and turn in to pleasure, like she had imagined. _Whoa, Sakura. Remember this is a mission! You're not losing your virginity to a random guy for no reason! _Her inner self reminded her.

"Faster," she muttered, while unlocking her wrists from his one-handed grasp, then planting them around his neck loosely.

He easily complied to her request by picking up his pace. She writhed under him, her eyes sliding shut, small whimpers and moans coming out from the back of her throat. _Pay. Attention. Mission! _Her conscious reminded again. "So, uh, I heard you, - ooh god that feels good - stole a scroll from the Mist Country, huh?" she asked between her panting breaths.

She felt him smirk slightly against her cheek. "Heh. Sure did, cool isn't it?" he asked himself, his voice slightly strained. "Wrap your legs around me," he added quietly.

She obeyed by wrapping her long legs around his waist. Her fingers fisted in his black locks, her head dipped back and hit the wall slightly. "V-very… so where d-did you decide to hide it?" she tried to make her voice sound curious and not suspicious.

His mouth attacked her neck again and she felt his lips move on her jugular, making her shiver deliciously. "Inside the statue outside of this place," _what an obvious place… why the hell couldn't the Mist do this?! Lazy asses-_

Unexpectedly, she came. He kissed her to muffle her screams and moans, thrusting in and out her harder before in a crazy frenzy. Her nails dug into his shoulders, breaking the skin terribly. Then, he collapsed against her, heart beating as fast as her. She could feel his exhausted puffs of breath on her sweaty skin. _Oh my god… amazing._

--

A/N: So, how did I do? This was my very first lemon… please, tell me how I did, things I need to improve on, etc.


	8. Puzzle Pieces

Amour de Pecheur chapter eight: Puzzle Pieces

_Standard disclaimer applies._

P.S.: I changed my name obviously. Its no longer 'NarutoFreakxD'. Oh, and I'm back. Sorry if this chapter is really jumbled up with parts and pieces.

--

_Love is patient; love is kindand envies no is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;never selfish, not quick to take is nothing love cannot face;there is no limit to its faith,its hope, and a word, there are three thingsthat last forever: faith, hope, and love;but the greatest of them all is love._

--

Neji rubbed the back of his neck. How long was Sakura intending to take? Its been half and hour already... seducing information out of a low-class shinobi wasn't _that _hard was it? He wouldn't know because he's never been in her type of situation, and hoped he never _would _be. Suddenly, a woman interrupted him of his thoughts and asked him for a dance, like many had. He just shook his head and refused politely, like he had done to the others.

He waited another ten minutes. _Okay, the next woman who asks me to dance, I'll accept. I've got nothing better to do anyways. _He told himself, taking in a big sigh.

As if it was on cue, a woman walked up to him. She had long silky black hair, reaching her waist, very pale skin, full lips with light red lipstick, a big bust (not like it mattered), and deep ocean-blue eyes.

"Hi," her voice was soft and alluring. "I was wondering if you would like to dance with me? I'm sure lots of other women have asked you, but, I might as well try…" she chuckled a bit, her mouth stretching into a small grin, showing her pearly white teeth.

Neji kept his poker face in place, and said, "Ha, ha. Sure, I've got nothing better to do." He held out his hand.

The young woman looked like someone had just knocked the breath out of her; she turned bright red and her eyes widened, obviously not thinking he would say yes. But she recovered with a dazzling smile, then took his hand.

They walked to the dance floor, which was playing another slow song from the orchestra. He only wanted to do a simple, and quick dance, so he could get it over with. But, apparently, it looked like that wasn't happening any time soon.

He put both of his hands on her waist, and she wrapped both of her dainty hands on his neck. They started out with doing the simple waltz, in the midst of their dancing, he saw something pink catch the corner of his eye. His eyes and ears went alert immediately.

But something more alarming happened; he felt the frail woman's lips on his, and froze.

His eyes grew bug-like and he finally tore her away from him. He was getting ready to ask why the hell she did that, but when he turned his head, he saw Sakura running out of the building. _No! _his thoughts hissed. With one last look at the woman, who looked confused and pained, he chased after Sakura. He hoped he didn't hurt her… he never meant to hurt her, and he surely didn't mean to kiss that woman; she planted _her_ lips on _his_! He had no intention of kissing her, just a quick, harmless dance. But she obviously got the wrong idea.

Through the icy, pounding rain, he saw Sakura. She was striding off in the direction of their hotel. Of course.

"Sakura, Sakura, wait up!" She didn't stop, she just turned her head halfway towards him and started running faster. "_Stop running!_" he shouted very loudly.

So she stopped. And with his fast running pace, he bumped right into her rigid body, though not moving her an inch.

"What do you want?" she hissed out in a low whisper, not even turning to face him yet.

Neji sighed. "Why did you run away from me?" he tried to ask as carefully as he could.

"Did you forget I was even on the m¾" she started.

"No, Sakura, I didn't forget. You were taking longer than I expected you to, so, I let woman dance with me,"

She finally turned around, but her eyes were focusing on the ground. "W-why did you have to kiss her?" her voice broke a couple of times ¾ was she crying?

He was relieved, but still worried at the same time. "Sakura," He lifted both of his arms and put both of his hands on her face to cup her cheeks. "I didn't want to kiss her. I wanted a meaningless dance with her, but she got the wrong idea and kissed _me_." Her eyes widened the slightest bit. "Why are you worried so much?"

She bit her lip and her eyes focused on the ground again. "Because I've been keeping something from you…"

"What is it? Sakura, always know, you can tell me anything." His eyes were deep and full of concern.

This time, she sighed. "Because I'm in love with you." she said in such a small voice, that Neji almost couldn't hear it.

But he did; he smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "You know what, Sakura? I've been trying to deny it, but, oh, did that not work. I love you, too."

She raised her head the tiniest bit. "Really? You don't know how hard I'd punch you if you were lying." she said with all seriousness, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

Their noses bumped. "Would I be lying if I did this…" Then he pressed his pale lips to hers in a slow, chaste motion.

She seemed a bit surprised at first, but then began kissing him back feverishly, with all the emotion that was held in her. Her arms twined around him to grab fistfuls of chocolate hair, while his arms simply wrapped around her small waist. She had to reach on her tip-toes to kiss him, though. So instead of her having to reach up, he picked her up gently off the soggy ground, and she gladly wrapped her legs around his abdomen.

Neji couldn't feel anything but the kiss; not the pouring rain, the chilling wind, it was like there was no world around them. He didn't even have to pinch himself, he knew it wasn't a dream. Nothing could rip them apart, not now. Not even _Tenten_. He'd moved on, Tenten had Lee, and Neji had his Sakura. His sweet, sweet cherry blossom.

…

It was still raining when she got up. Sakura yawned and smiled at the memories from last night. She'd rather consider _that _her first time, rather than with a stranger. She winced as she remembered the _sounds_ she had made, so loud and embarrassing! She blushed just at the thought of it. And the good thing was, they still accomplished the mission, she'd grabbed the scroll on her way out.

She found herself still wrapped up in Neji's arms, caged inside the bed. She sighed and laid her head on top of his naked chest, which was nice and warm from their thick quilt. As carefully not to wake him as possible, she climbed out of his grasp, and hopped off the squishy bed, her feet landing with a small plop. She cringed; the floor was _much_ colder than the bed.

Her feet tapped across the floor as she went to the kitchen. As soon as she got in there she searched through the cupboards, finally finding her goal, a cup. She filled it up with tap water, there was nothing else she really wanted anyways. She sipped it, and recoiled quickly, the water tasted like metal.

"Yuck," she muttered to herself.

She didn't pour it down the drain though, she just gulped the rest of it down very quickly. _Hopefully Neji doesn't wake up… I want to make him breakfast. _she thought happily. But as she searched through the cabinets and the refrigerator, very little food was supplied. So, she wrote a note saying:

_Neji,_

_I hope you didn't wake up and have to read this. But, if you did, I am going to stop by the grocery store (to get some food, obviously). I will be back very shortly. BUT, if I'm not back in two hours, I'm afraid you'll have to come look for me. And, don't worry, I still love you._

_-Sakura_

Instead of posting it up on the fridge, she walked quietly back to the room and set it on the pillow beside him. She stopped and gazed at him for a little while, his face was as sweet as a calm baby's, no worry lines, everything just fit perfectly into place.

Sighing, she left the hotel room, off into the quiet streets of Cloud. Hopefully it wouldn't be dangerous for her to shop here… Well, she was a Jounin, not a little Genin anymore. Good thing she had remembered to grab an umbrella, she almost forgot it was raining. _Gah, does this place rain _all _the time? _It was yet another very cold, and soggy morning. A biting swoosh of wind nearly made her misstep, causing her to wrap her coat tighter around her shape. She was still shivering slightly, little white puffs of air coming out from her mouth.

_I hate the cold. _she would've muttered, but her mouth was still chattering. As soon as she was about to pass another building, a neon 'open' sign caught her eye. It looked like a tiny, run-down gas station. "Good enough for me, I only have a tiny bit of money on me anyways…" she muttered, her voice stuttering and breaking many times throughout the sentence.

She walked through the door, a small bell ringing above her head as she stepped inside. The lanky employee looked up from reading his newspaper, surprised at seeing someone come in this early.

The place was just as bad as it looked on the outside; the floors were spotted with leaks from the roof, the white¾or were they tan?¾walls were stained and dingy, and the fluorescent lights flickered above their heads. She shuddered a bit before moving on to browse at the shelves. She found a loaf of white bread, a pack of six jumbo eggs, some milk, and some butter. Just what she needed for breakfast. She checked out quickly and left the convenient store. And of course, it was still raining. Muttering a small curse, she walked on.

As she walked briskly down the narrow sidewalk, keeping her head down, she bumped into something strong and sturdy. Gasping, she looked up to see a man. Before she could murmur her apologies, he spoke before her.

"You need some help with those groceries, ma'am?" he ask her in a deep voice, as a wicked grin spread across his face.

Her eyebrows creased, and she took a step back. "Um, no thank you…" She was about to make her way around him, but a long arm stopped her in her way.

"You sure 'bout that? I'd be glad to help you." his voice now turned evil and deadly, meaning: he wasn't _asking_, but _commanding_.

She dropped her groceries and automatically she went in defensive mode. "Get away from me," she hiss viciously, clenching her fists tightly.

His smirk got wider. "Katsuo was right, she is a feisty one."

That name being heard froze the blood pumping through her veins. "W-what?!" she exclaimed.

The man chuckled darkly. "Yup, he knew right after the scroll went missing that it was you." he paused, examining her. "Too bad, such a sweet little thing. Apparently you _shouldn't _judge a book by it's cover," He moved closer to her.

Then everything went black.

* * *

(Sakura's Point of View)

_Ouch… my whole body aches… where am I? _My eyes felt heavy, clouded, I didn't want to open them, but I had to. I tried to reach my hand to my face, but something metal and rusty tugged hard on my wrist. I cried out in pain, a burning sensation went up my entire right arm. I blinked a couple of times, then opened my eyes, and gaped. Purple, blue and black bruises decorated my pale arms, along with angry, red scratches. I could feel the sticky, dried up blood in my hair and glued on my face. Lastly, chains wrapped around both of my wrists, no wonder I couldn't lift up my arm at all…

What the _fuck_ happened?

I slowly crept onto my knees ¾ which hurt like _hell_. The room I was in was pitch black, it smelled like total shit, and I could tell I was somewhere I didn't know of, obviously. All I could hear was my shallow breathing, and the rain pattering on the roof. It was coming back slowly now, going out to get food, bumping into that strange man, and lastly, getting knocked out. That man must've dragged me here, wherever here _was_. I was kidnapped, joy, joy. I could tell I was near a wall¾where would the chains connect to?¾so I laid my head softly back on it, and I felt myself wince. It stung, my wounds must be raw and recent.

"Shit," I emphasized the 't' in it. "How in the hell did they find out?!" I whispered to myself, which was useless.

Then my ears perked up, hearing some muttered words outside the strange room.

"Looks like princess is awake," _Princess_?!

"Ha, ha. Katsuo, would _you_ like to see her first?"

"Might as well."

Then I heard footsteps. Oh, goody. I've already been beaten down like a useless rag doll once, isn't that good enough?

The door opened, bright light licking up the darkness quickly. I squinted my eyes, it was too bright. A dark figure walking into the room, I was assuming that was Katsuo. The steps he made echoed in my head, over, and over again. _Step. Step. Step. Step. Pause. Step. Step._ Until he finally crouched down next to me. His breathing was labored and quiet, the opposite of mine. I saw his hand go near my face¾oh no, that meant there _was_ going to be more abuse. I tried to flinch away from it as much as I could, but I couldn't really since I was practically immobile.

But instead of roughly grabbing my chin like I had thought, he cupped his hand around my jaw bone and brought my face around to look at him. I could see the fury in his eyes, but also the confusion.

"W-what do y-you want?" I hadn't realized that my teeth were chattering again.

I heard him snort. "Sakura, oh, Sakura. Now, I only want to ask you a simple question." He traced his hand down my jawbone and chin.

"W-w-what?"

I felt his other hand on my shoulder. "Why, why, why did you have to take that precious scroll from me?" his voice was smooth, and velvety, like he wasn't cold at all.

I wasn't going to lie to him, it was of no use to by now. "Because y-you stole it f-first," I tried to stop my teeth. "And I was assigned to get it safe and sound back to the Mist." I took in a shaky sigh. "I-I never meant to hurt you, if I did," Shit, what was I _saying_? I'm a ninja, and ninja aren't built to _care_.

He chuckled a few times, but his voice was hard as stone. "Don't worry, you didn't mark me, sweetheart. Back to topic. Where did you put it? You see, I really need that scroll, and I'm not going to baby-talk you into giving it to me because I _know_ you aren't that gullible."

"And why would you think I would tell you where it was, then?" I snapped. I felt my arms and fists tense, causing the chains to rattle.

"Because I could always get my men back in here to bruise your perfect skin even more."

I laughed without humor. "And I could rip these chains off right now if I wanted to. Your men may have brawn, but I have brains _and_ chakra." My voice was thick with smugness.

He growled. "I have ways to make your life a living hell."

"How?" I asked wryly.

"Oh, you'll see." What a cliché remark. "I know people," Another one.

I rolled my eyes. "That's what they all say." Suddenly my wrists were yanking at the chains. "I'll pull my own damn arms off the wall, thank you very much." He pulled his hands off my arms, and I tried with all the chakra I had left to rip the chains off the wall. "Don't you have a key?"

"Yes."

"Then why the hell don't you use it?!" I hissed at him venomously.

"I don't want to. Plus I don't really give a rat's ass about your pain." he shot back.

"Bastard," I said under my breath, then finally the chains broke free.

He took my upper arm roughly, ha, ha, I must've pissed him off. He dragged me out of the room, and from what I could see, I was still wearing clothes. I would've been able to feel them, but my whole body felt numb, unfortunately. This was all quite amusing. What could they do to me? Although, right now I was really low on chakra… which is really bad in a situation like this. Oh, shit. I just realized something.

"What time is it?" I asked him urgently.

He seemed surprised at my sudden necessity. "Um, almost midnight."

Oh, _fuck_! Neji, what's Neji thinking?! Where could he be (obviously out looking for me)? I've been knocked out for the _whole_ day? Damn, they must have beat me pretty hard to keep me out that long… God! Why does this kind of shit have to happen on a _simple _mission? I would be smacking my head right now if I wasn't so weak. I cussed them out more silently in my head. Apparently it _was_ too dangerous to go out alone in the village of Cloud… I felt myself scoff.

"Where are you taking me, anyways?" I asked bitterly.

"To see somebody," he smiled malevolently. "One of the people I know. And honey, if _I _don't scare you, I guarantee these guys will scare the shit right out of you." He sounded pretty convincing. "I'm sure you've heard of them."

I just waited for him to go on about these so called "people" he knew.

"Huge black cloaks, red clouds all over them. About six or seven of them, but there's only a few here, they're leaders had more important things to do." There was a dark glint in his eyes.

He had to drag me by now. When he'd said, 'Huge black cloaks, red clouds all over them' my whole body felt like it was paralyzed. "A-Akatsuki? You c-can't be serious." I felt my voice tremble, not from the cold, from _fear_.

Oh, terrific… the Akatsuki?! I'm fucking dead now! I mean, they don't give a crap about the person they're going to murder cold-bloodedly ¾ half the time they didn't care about themselves. If I already hadn't said this, how could such a simple mission turn into _this_? How troublesome. But what if they don't kill me (which is almost impossible to believe)… then they'd just keep me captive (for the rest of my life) or torture me. Ha, either one would work for them.

"Are we in their, er, hideaway?" I asked, a bit hesitant.

He glanced back at me. "Yes."

I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Are you going to be staying here?"

"No."

I sighed, of course he wouldn't be. I wasn't his problem anymore. I was _theirs_.

"How much longer do we have to walk?" I questioned him again, we've been walking for what seemed like half an hour.

"Actually, we're here." He stopped in front of a door, I waited for him to open it, or do something, but he didn't move from his spot. "C'mon, go ahead. I'm not coming with you," he paused briefly. "You're on your own, now. Ha, good luck." And he left, leaving me alone.

I stood there for about thirty more seconds, not knowing whether to knock or not. _Aw, hell. Just go in, they're expecting you anyways… _So, I listened to myself and twisted the doorknob, then pushed the door open. Then, I was staring right into the three pairs of eyes that were staring into mine. One piercing pair of white eyes, some light sky blue ones, and one unforgettable pair of crimson ones. The room was quite dark, so that's all I could see from my distance. Okay… what do I do now?

_Step inside the room, you idiot. _My inner self ordered. Wow, I'm surprised she showed up, she rarely did anymore. So I listened, and stepped inside the room. I raised my eyebrows, silently asking, 'do I sit down, or what?'. The figured out my gesture pretty quickly (of course) and one of them shoved a chair out from under the table by kicking it. I went over and sat in it, on the farthest edge away from them. Now, I could see them better.

I already know one of them, Itachi. I sneered, not physically, mentally, just to stay safe. There was a blonde, he had long hair, with some of it tied on the top. I vaguely remembered him, I think he was the partner of Sasori, whom I killed. And of course, Itachi's partner, the big, tall, masculine blue-skinned one, Kisame. Jeez, his chakra was so strong I almost couldn't bear to feel it. I heard rumors about his sword, the Samehada, sucked the chakra right out of you, ah, that's the reason he holds so much chakra. I'm not saying that it wasn't part of his massive brawn, either.

Now the blonde¾I don't recall knowing his name¾looked average, slim and slender, with some muscle on him (of course). He had fresh boyish features, which meant he was around my age, probably just a few years older. Currently, he wasn't smiling. Why would he be? The only reason I could really see them was because they weren't wearing their humongous cloaks.

I cleared my throat again. "Don't you thing this is a bit… _much_? Overrated? I was just doing a mission… my job," I tried to keep my voice as confident as I could.

Blondie snorted.

Kisame chuckled.

Itachi stared blankly, and answered, "No. If you opened the scroll, you would see why." His tone was polite, calm.

I sank lower into my very uncomfortable wood chair, and sighed. The silence was getting to be awkward now. "So, er, what's my _punishment_?" I added extra sarcasm on the 'punishment'.

Now, Blondie spoke. "Either, you be a good girl and we'll just let you stay captive. But, if you slip up, you will not like the consequences, I guarantee you, yeah." A slow smirk crawled up on his face.

"Trust us," Kisame added in.

I replied with one simple word, "Ouch." Then I added in another question. "Do I have a, uh, room, or anything like that?"

"The first room on the left. Right now you're in my room, Deidara's will be next to yours, and Kisame's will be across from yours, also." Itachi informed me.

So that was Blondie's name, Deidara.

I rolled my eyes at them. "So, basically I'm trapped in between your guys' rooms?"

"Whatever you want to say, yeah." Deidara chortled quietly.

"Wait, who hurt me in the first place?" I ask fiercely, moving up a bit in my seat.

This time, Kisame spoke, "That would be our _dear friend_ Katsuo. We had no say in that part."

So was Katsuo their friend or not? It didn't seem like it when Kisame added thick derision when he'd said "dear friend". Also, how Katsuo was so urgent to get out of this place… It was all too suspicious. Wait. Maybe is was a trade of some kind. But how did the Akatsuki get a hold of the scroll I'd taken back? When I was gone? And Neji… What could they have done to Neji? Hurt him… killed him. It all seemed to fit together now, in a very, _very_ terrible manner. This can _not_ happen. Not now… everything was going so perfect. Then again, nothing can be or is perfect. It was like

déjà vu, with Sasuke nine years ago, when everything just crashed. I can't have this happening to me again; my heart isn't that strong.

"Hello, Pinky, are you still with us?" A hand flashed in front of me several times, then I felt something nip my nose. Like _teeth_.

I snapped back into the outside world, and I was staring face-to-face with a hand. But _no_, this hand had… a _mouth_ on it?! I felt myself let out a loud, sharp, high-pitched cry in surprise. In that result, I shoved myself back, nearly knocking the table over while I was at it. Then, I heard Deidara and Kisame burst into laughter.

"What the _hell_ was that _thing_ in front of my face?!" I half-shouted.

Deidara grinned crookedly, then pulled both of his arms and flipped them, showing me his palms. Oh, god, I wasn't imagining it, there _are_ mouths. On both. "Its my kekki genkai."

I swallowed back bile. "I, uh, see…" I wasn't really grossed out, just when he put them that close to my face.

I tried to bite back a yawn, but I failed. A long, deep yawn broke through my mouth. Damn, I can't believe I'm tired, after sleeping¾being knocked out to be exact¾for that long. I guess I would have to use the chakra I had left to heal my most severe wounds.

"Okay, I'm going to bed. I'll have more questions in the morning. Will you be in here, or a different room?" I got up and out of my chair, stretching my toes by flexing them.

"We'll most likely be in the kitchen." Itachi said.

I just nodded, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I walked a few feet, then found, like Itachi said earlier, the first room on the left. Thank god it wasn't that other room I was in previously, the room I woke up in. That room was at the end of this very long hall. Now, instead of staring blankly at the door, I twisted the knob and stepped inside, my right hand automatically moving to the left in search for a light switch. When I flipped the switch, the vacant room was reveled. There was one simple bed with a oak frame and white sheets, along with white pillows, there was a desk with a lamp and a chair, and a closet. The walls were striped ivory and pine green, the carpet was a light cream color. How plain. At least it had some color.

I walked to the bed, and collided into it, the mattress was nice and soft. Ah. I crawled the rest of my way into it and pulled the covers over me, I had already turned the lights off again. I didn't go to sleep right at this moment, I had some time to think. What about clothes? My people at Konoha? I don't even know where I am right now; I could be in Grass, Mist, Cloud (still), or anywhere. What would Tsunade think? My biggest concern over all of those right now was, Neji. I really hope they didn't kill him… it would… it would ruin me. I would have nothing to live for. Maybe Naruto and Kakashi, but still, it wouldn't be the same. Ugh, this is so frustrating. Would I ever be free? I would never think of escaping on my own, that's just plain stupid when you're talking about the Akatsuki. But, seriously, are these guys just going to baby-sit me for the rest of my life, or will they kill me? Would Konoha have any idea of what happened? Way too many questions, and not enough answers.

So, I closed my eyes, and my body shut down without further ado.

…

There were no windows, I forgot to mention, so I woke up in pitch blackness. I wished this was a dream, but it wasn't. No warm arms were wrapped around me. No alarm clock blaring in my ears. Just lonely old me. I dragged myself out of bed, and my footsteps were heavy on the floor, lagging. I didn't want to get up at all, but I had to ask some very important questions. I got out of the room and walked into the kitchen, and aha, there they all were. I wonder what time it was… Well, it must've been pretty early, because I could smell something cooking. Wow, I wonder which one is cooking. The only one I could imagine cooking is Itachi.

I walked in there cautiously, and sat down in a chair. Woo, more wooden chairs. I crossed my arms over my chest. "So, what happened to Neji?" They knew who I was talking about.

Everyone looked up, but no one answered. I took a long sigh. "Please, tell me," I pleaded, one thing I don't usually do when I'm serious.

Deidara cleared his throat. "We don't know."

What the hell do they mean they don't know?! I took a deep breath, controlling my anger. "Do you know if Katsuo did anything to him?"

It took him awhile to answer again. "You wouldn't like the answer to that." his voice was as even as mine was.

"I can handle it… I won't throw a fit." I assured him, then closed my eyes, waiting for the answer I already knew.

I could hear his hands fidget. "He didn't kill him. But, he's probably going to be in the hospital for awhile." One short pause. "You see, Katsuo was trying to ask him where the scroll was, but apparently Neji was being too stubborn. So, he beat it out of him."

I smiled, only for a short second. My Neji wasn't dead. Hopefully he made it to Konoha to see Tsunade. Just for a short minute, I couldn't feel my strong hate towards the Akatsuki, I couldn't hear or see things around me, it's like I was floating in air. I was in a state of euphoria. Peace. But, he was still hurt.

I opened my eyes slowly, to see three curious gazes set on me. "Just… thinking."

Then I actually started to think. What could've been in the scroll that made it so precious? That thing got me into this whole jumbled up mess. I have to think of something… anything that can get me out. I'll _risk_ anything.

God, I was going to be here for awhile, wasn't I?


	9. Please read!

**This is not a chapter.**

To all my faithful readers,

I'm sorry to say that I'm not continuing this story any more. I've moved on to another project, my new story, Words Can't Explain. It's a KakaSaku. But, I kind of got out of my NejiSaku "stage". I still love the couple very much. Just, not as much as KakaSaku. Maybe I'll continue it sometime else, just not now. Plus, I don't really like the whole plot twist thing I did. It ruined the whole thing for me, and probably in some of my readers. I'm disappointed in myself. Well, if anyone wants to continue this story, you're all welcome to do it. Just note me and give me some credit. Again, I'm so sorry.

Bunches of love,

TheFreakIsHere.


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